A human dimension to the energy debate: access to modern energy services

This article examines the link between the need for universal access to modern energy services and poverty alleviation in developing nations. It first outlines the practical significance of the issue, identifies the factors that appear to have contributed to the lack of progress in this area and then considers the legal strategies that have so far been adopted by states to address this issue. The article makes the case for access to modern energy services to be incorporated within the human rights framework and analyses the potential that such an approach offers as a means of alleviating poverty.