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UNEP Internship Article
Published：22/10/2011
Dodging the red corrugated metal that overhangs informal houses, Tongji master student Phil Hannam wove through the narrow alleys of Huruma, a small slum on the outskirts of Kenya’s bustling capital Nairobi. Mr. Wang Zhijia, UNEP’s Special Representative to China and Phil’s adviser during his three months at UNEP, was just ahead. The two reached a modest but tall building, made from concrete rather than wood and rusted scraps characteristic of the surrounding homes. Inside were a series of public toilets, several small single person rooms, but also a communal kitchen – which used biogas generated from human waste for community cooking. A young man from the community demonstrated use of the cooking facilities. Mr. Wang, a modest but highly revered expert in global environmental governance from Tianjin, China, had initiated a partnership between the Chinese Embassy in Nairobi, and UNEP, to mobilize financing, technology and staff time to design and build the project, which is improving the lives of people in Huruma. The biogas center reduces the need for wood for cooking from the nearby forests, while also managing community waste.
Figure 1: A view from atop the China/UNEP biogas facility, and looking across the rooftops of Huruma, one of Nairobi's slums near the UNEP compound (photo by Ms. ZHU Qian – UNEP)
Phil was studying the initiative as part of his efforts to understand China’s role in energy investments in Africa, and also to see how South-South Cooperation is happening in practice. The Huruma bio-gas project, while a very small example, points to a much larger trend about the potential for clean energy expertise and financing from developing countries to help their peers.
Phil also had the chance to travel to the pastoral tea fields and sugar plantations of western Kenya, surveying other projects with strong south-south cooperation components. Phil joined a team from UNEP and the “Energy, Environment and Development Network for Africa” (AFREPREN/FWD) to investigate the success of an initiative to promote high efficiency cogeneration technology in east African Agro-processing industries. Phil wrote a detailed case study based on interviews and project documents examining the roles of Brazil, India and Mauritius in providing technical and policy expertise for the cogeneration projects.
Phil successfully defended his master thesis on South-South cooperation in energy technology on June 18 at the UNEP-Tongji IESD. His field studies in Kenya were used for both his thesis and also to support UNEP’s efforts to integrate South-South cooperation into its technology support and capacity building efforts.
Figure 2: Phil Hannam investigating the South-South Cooperation components in a cogeneration project in western Kenya (photo by AFREPREN/FWD)
The bulk of Phil’s work at UNEP was on an initiative to build a “South-South Exchange Mechanism” which would archive South-South case studies and distil best practices for use by development and environmental practitioners. The Exchange Mechanism would also serve as a news archive for the growing field of environment in South-South Cooperation. Working under Mr. Wang, Phil also assisted in the development of UNEP’s policies for engaging Chinese donors on UNEP projects, and to prepare for the Rio+20 conference in 2012.
Working full time by day, Phil would often go home for dinner and nap before returning to UNEP’s campus to continue work on his Tongji University Thesis. “The taxi drivers knew that I would need a ride most nights around midnight”, Phil said, reflecting on the hectic schedule that allowed him to finish his thesis and manage the demands of multiple projects simultaneously.
The experience, he says, was challenging but worth every minute.
The UNEP-Tongji IESD hopes to continue fostering opportunities for its master and doctoral students to intern at UNEP and affiliated organizations.