According to the UNDP, “access to clean energy improves women’s lives in a myriad of ways. It supports access to education and quality healthcare, opens new economic opportunities, and reduces unpaid domestic labour”(1). However, in practice, from industry to policymaking, we “fail to include women as energy users, decision- makers and agents of change of the energy transition”(2). It is a fact that women might have limited access to technical education, lack of visible role model and mentors, as well as face discrimination in workplace, etc.
This project aims to focus on addressing the challenges to empower women with the skills, knowledge and opportunities to participate in the energy transition, contributing to advancing gender equity and sustainable development goals simultaneously. By ensuring their participation in just energy transition, we can accelerate progress towards goals such as affordable and clean energy (Sustainable Development Goal - SDG 7), gender equality (SDG 5), and economic growth (SDG 8).
While the project focuses on empowering women in just energy transition, developing economies will be beneficiaries given the fact that they might have limited awareness and experiences in promoting women’s participation and benefiting from energy transition. Through this project, it is expected to support developing economies raising the awareness and capture the opportunities to empower women in energy transition through sharing information, experiences, best practices from APEC member economies.
The project aims to improve capacity building for APEC member economies, especially developing ones through identifying challenges impeding women's participation in just energy transition; and hence, sharing information, experiences in figuring out approaches to address challenges and support women to participate and benefit from just energy transition.
This project is in line with the Chair’s Statement of the 13th APEC Energy Ministerial Meeting (EMM 13), in which APEC recognize that more intensive efforts are needed for economies to accelerate their clean, sustainable, just, affordable, and inclusive energy transitions, consistent with global net-zero greenhouse gas emissions / carbon neutrality by or around mid-century, while taking into account the latest scientific developments and different domestic circumstances; and emphasize that the Just Energy Transition Initiative will both support and build on the implementation of the La Serena Roadmap for Women and Inclusive Growth.
The 2 full-day workshop is proposed to take place in the 2nd quarter in 2025 (tentatively in July 2025), in Hanoi, Viet Nam
All APEC member economies’ representatives will be invited to attend as speakers or participants.
The purpose of the workshop is improve capacity building for APEC member economies through sharing information, experiences, best practices in promoting women access to just energy transition.
The post - workshop evaluation will be held right after the workshop. Tentative Agenda:
Day 1
Theme 1: An overview of just energy transition and women's participation in APEC member economies
Theme 2: Identifying opportunities and addressing challenges
Theme 3: Women's access to just energy transition from the economic, social and environmental dimensions as well as regulations.
Q&A and discussion sessions Day 2
Theme 4: Roles of stakeholders in empower women in just energy transition
Theme 5: Sharing experiences from APEC member economies’ participants in empowering women in just energy transition Theme 6: Discussion and Recommendations
Q&A and discussion session.
The Workshop Summary Report will contain summary of presentations provided by speakers as well as present substantive content such as the best practices, recommendations.
Speakers' presentation (slides) can be included as annex, not in the main document.
At least 6 recommendations will also be presented in the Report. The Workshop Summary Report is expected with the minimum of 15 pages, excluding annexes
A pre-workshop survey will be conducted to collect informaton on APEC members' interest on the topic dicussion, which will be served as a reference for to develop the workshop agenda and promote discussion at the workshop.
The project will primarily aim to target:
Primary beneficiaries:
- Governments’ officials who are involved in regulating, implementing polies in energy, just energy transition and women economic empowerment.
- Representatives from business and women associations, energy-related association, research-related institutions, etc.
Secondary beneficaries
The electronic publication will also be used to disseminate the workshop’s documents widely. APEC’s official website will be the main one to upload the documents. The workshop’s summary report (minimum of 15 pages) will be shared on the APEC project data base, and remain as an APEC publication.
A press release on the Workshop will be published in Vietnam’s media mass (Viet Nam News, Viet Nam News Agency, Economics Times, etc.,). It will also be sent to business associations, research centers, etc., to attract attention to the event to encourage people to visit the documents online. The PO will consult with PD during the development of press release for the project.
There is no intention to sell outputs arising from this project.
All the reports and related communication materials will comply with APEC Publications, IP, and Logo Guidelines.
PPWE will be the group which oversees this Project and will be responsible for disseminating information about the Workshop to APEC member economies. The outcomes of the Workshop will be submitted to EWG for consideration and further action.
The EWG will also be consulted and called for cooperation during the development and implementation of this project.
Following the workshop, participants are expected to have more in-depth knowledge and experiences how to empower women in just energy transition.
To make sure that the workshop meets its objectives, the organizer will report to and seek approval from PPWE for the recommendations in particular and the workshop summary report in general. Based on the recommendations from member economies, the organizer will consider proposing new activities/initiatives to follow up the outcome of the project.