THE CORE COMMITTEE

At the backdrop of increasing demand worldwide for improved cook stoves for individual
families which is not only environment friendly but also help reduce health hazards for
women engaged in cooking for the family. The use of firewood for coking causes emission of
black smoke which help rising of greenhouse effect as well as put the women at risk of
diseases like bronco pneumonia, heart ailment etc. Use of alternative fuel like pallets,
briquettes and charcoal in cooking are not only energy efficient but also saves cooking time
and allows the women folk a breathing space in her daily busy household chores.
It is estimated that 3 billion people are dependent on cook stoves using wood as fuel causing
health and environmental issue for countries involved in such use. Most of the kitchen in the
under developed countries including Bangladesh is window less and the black smoke is
inhaled by the cooking women. This pollution is termed as household air pollution .According
to the World Health Organization household air pollution (HAP) kills over 4 million people
every year. Open fires and traditional cookstoves also have a serious impact on the climate,
accounting for approximately 25% of global black carbon emissions. Women and girls, as the
primary cooks and fuel gatherers for their families, suffer disproportionately from reliance on
traditional cooking methods and the effects of HAP.
The HEP will lead by SREDA. The platform will bring all the stakeholders working in the arena
of dissemination of Improved Cook stoves including the relevant ministries, government
directorates i.e. BSTI/BCSIR/Dept. of Environment, local producer of cookstoves and village
level producers draw an extensive plan, mapping the producers, marketers, motivators and
change agents at grass root level in line with the Country Action Plan (CAP) as adopted by
Government of Bangladesh in November 2013.
The Household Energy Platform (HEP) will meet annually and deliberate on the achievements
of progress through its CORE COMMITTEE and Sub Committees formed to attain the targeted
goal of dissemination of 30 million ICS by 2030 and the problems n prospects and draw its
future plan.
To make the “HOUSEHOLD ENERGY FORUM” efficacious and appropriate to the need of the
day and act as proper catalytic agent, a “CORE COMMITTEE” will be formed comprising 15 to
20 members to conduct day to day business of the platform:

The committee will be responsible for effective functioning of HEP secretariat and make it an
effective forum for knowledge gathering and sharing to make useful coordination between
members of HEP and government agencies and foreign and local NGO’s and funding agencies
and identify areas of operation to boost production and sales of ICS as well alternate fuel.
It will turn itself as a dissemination center for storing appropriate data and update the same
regarding production, import and sales, distribution of ICS and share it with stakeholders. It
will help marketing standard cook stoves paving the way to reduce emission of black smoke
and make clean kitchen by thus mother and child are safe from health hazards.
The Committee in cooperation with local NGO’s, government agencies and provide all
possible help and assistance by organizing Workshops, Seminar and talk Show, printing
brochures, banners leaflets and Road Show and motivational meetings with the local
leaders/school teachers and Imams of mosques in rural/peri urban areas to boost the
marketing of ICS.
The CORE COMMITTEE to keep close watch on the standardization of ICS and help testing the
produced cook stoves are as per BSTI standard through BSTI/BUET/DU/BCSIR(IFRD) .
To run the HEP activities effectively and in a meaningful way and meet the requirements of
the stakeholders the CORE COMMITTEE may create some sub –committees to take care of
appropriate technical/social aspect and create an enabling situation for ICS marketing. The
sub-committees will be responsible for ICS production, use and help improve capacity
building, produce energy efficient standard cook stoves, testing and standard, advocacy
program etc.