Mainstreaming gender into energy projects

Chiang Mai, Thailand
22-26 October, 2007

ENERGIA, in collaboration with UNDP Regional Centre in Bangkok, organized a five-day training workshop on 'Mainstreaming Gender Concerns in Energy Projects'. The training was conducted by Ms Joy Clancy of the University of Twente, the Netherlands and Ms Christina Aristanti of the Asia Regional Cook stoves Programme (ARECOP), Indonesia. Logistical support was provided by CRT-Nepal.

A rigorous selection process, which was also used to assess the training needs of potential participants, was put into place. This resulted in the selection of 32 participants (22 women and 10 men) which consisted of:

1. Energy and development practitioners, including country programme officers from UNDP and energy project managers who recognize the need to address gender issues in their work and wanted to know how to do this in practical terms; and
2. Gender and/or energy trainers with at least 3 years of experience in delivering training courses in Asia and who were willing to design and deliver gender and energy training programmes in their respective countries, with support from ENERGIA.

To the extent possible, the two types of participants were paired together to form country-level teams from Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, India, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Thailand, Vietnam, the Philippines and China. Participants were expected to take back the knowledge and information into their work situations and to form a core of gender and energy resource people within their countries, who would organise and design national gender and energy training course, with due consideration for the national context.

Before coming for the training programme, all the participants of the training programme underwent an e- learning course on basic concepts of gender and energy and came prepared with preliminary action plans.