Access to Universal Modern Energy Services as a Basic Human Right: A Critical Analysis

Abstract

The widespread recognition of the universal access to modern energy services as a panacea to poverty alleviation and key pillar in achieving all United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals by 2030 is a clear testimony of its importance. While attention is on SDG 7 for sustainable human development, universal access to modern energy services is not yet regarded as a basic human right in international human rights law. This paper is concentrating on calling for the United Nations, governments and other various stakeholders to officially recognize universal access to modern energy services as a basic human right necessary to achieve all the SDGs by 2030. In order to justify this cause, the paper defined human rights and also described international human rights legal framework. Also, the paper gave an overview of the universal access to modern energy services focusing on current global electrification rates as well as access to clean cooking. Most importantly, the paper gave a critical analysis as to whether or not universal access to modern energy services is a human right. The paper concluded that the universal access to modern energy is an indisputable basic human right that is only awaiting official recognition.