REEECH Webinar Series - Towards Energy Justice: Addressing Gender Inequalities in Energy Policies in the HKH

The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) and the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) organised this event as part of the series of country-specific webinars under ICIMOD's Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Capability for the Hindu Kush Himalaya (REEECH) Initiative on Thursday, 07 October 2021.

Women in the mountain communities experience energy poverty differently and more severely than men as they are primarily responsible for fulfilling the energy needs of their families. The potential welfare gain for women and excluded groups from increased access to energy sources, services, and technologies is significant. There is a need to recognise the linkages between gender, poverty, and energy, and address them in energy policy.

Focused on Nepal and Bhutan, this first webinar in the series reviewed the extent to which gender issues have been addressed in both countries' energy sector (policy, institutional, and programmatic domains). Gender and energy experts, as well as government officials drew on existing good practices in the energy portfolio. Each webinar concluded with recommendations for filling the policy gap in addressing gender-related constraints in access to, ways of use, opportunities, and control over energy.

The detailed agenda and concept note are available here.