Press release: Report stresses green hydrogen potential as catalyst for sustainable development

Report stresses green hydrogen potential as catalyst for sustainable development

Press release of 11 December 2023

Dubai, 11 Dec. 2023. Yesterday, an important event took place that may influence the understanding of green hydrogen (GH2) in developing countries in the coming years. UNIDO, IRENA and IDOS convened in Dubai to present their collaborative report "Green hydrogen for Sustainable Industrial Development: A Policy Toolkit for Developing Countries." This launch event, held during a COP meeting in the Blue Zone, brought together key stakeholders and experts in the field of sustainable energy.

The collaboration from UNIDO, IRENA and IDOS saw each co-authoring organisation contributing their own specific expertise to this toolkit towards a perfect synergy of institutional mandates, one of promoting the widespread and sustainable use of renewable energy worldwide to shape policy for an inclusive and sustainable industrialisation and the global common good.

This is the first comprehensive policy report that covers the entire GH2 value chain - including backward linkages, production and end-use - with a specific focus on developing countries. It provides strategic guidance to maximise the local benefits of GH2 producers and includes concise policy sheets that outline the options to achieve this.

Going forward, the toolkit will serve as a valuable resource for developing countries that aim to embark on a pathway on GH2-fuelled industrialisation. It informs policymakers about the latest strategies, challenges and solutions for creating a local value chain around GH2 production. Based on these insights, country-specific needs may subsequently be addressed through projects and cooperations.
Beyond the presentation of the report, which will be soon available on the organisations’ websites, the event initiated a critical dialogue about green hydrogen's role in the sustainable development of developing countries. The discussions challenged the conventional view of green hydrogen as primarily an export commodity from countries rich in renewables but lacking in industrial power. Instead, the focus shifted to the potential of green hydrogen to drive economic growth, environmental sustainability, and social progress within these nations.

Dr Ute Collier, Acting Director of the Knowledge, Policy and Finance Center at IRENA, emphasised the realism needed in discussions about hydrogen's future. “Hydrogen export will be a daunting challenge in the early stages, so it makes sense to focus the development of hydrogen projects to serve local industry,” she remarked during the event.

Dr Gerd Müller, Director General of UNIDO, highlighted the need for policy action in his foreword to the report: “An essential prerequisite to the global scale up of green hydrogen uptake is the development of the necessary policy and legal frameworks and coordinating international standards. Without regulatory clarity, green hydrogen projects are unable to move forward as they cannot plan or assess risk. This toolkit aims to guide policy makers in developing a regulatory environment that enables green hydrogen production.”

Prof. Anna-Katharina Hornidge, Director of IDOS, pointed out that the success of the global green hydrogen economy depends on addressing the sustainable development interests of low-income economies. “Creating jobs and new value-added opportunities, decarbonising the economy, ensuring benefits for local communities and the society at large – these are all crucial factors for making the green hydrogen vision a reality.”  

The event scored on the main purpose of the “Green Hydrogen for Sustainable Industrial Development” report: to ignite a discussion where the transformational role of green hydrogen is well understood by all players in the field, in order to ensure the distribution of potential benefits in the most equitable manner.