2004, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
This toolkit and resource guide has been produced jointly by the Sustainable Energy Programme of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and ENERGIA, the International Network on Gender and Sustainable Energy. It is designed to help planners and practitioners integrate gender and energy considerations into development programmes, including those focusing on energy improvements as well as other types of development programmes.
In many parts of the world, overall socio-economic development is limited by the lack of availability of modern energy services such as lighting, cooking and heating, refrigeration, pumping, transportation, and communications. The lack of access to energy services is known as “energy poverty,” a condition that often has disproportionate effects on women and girls.
This toolkit and resource guide outlines the linkages between gender and energy in the context of sustainable development and provides suggestions and materials on how to address energy poverty by integrating gender and energy sensitivity into development programmes, projects, and policies.
An important reason for the focus on gender and energy is that in many developing countries women are particularly affected by lack of accessible and affordable energy services due to their traditional roles, household responsibilities, and low social and political status. Better understanding of differences in the ways men and women use energy in various cultures and locations can promote greater gender equity and empowerment of women, as well as enhance the effectiveness of energy projects, poverty programmes, and overall sustainable development activities.
UNDP and ENERGIA have collaborated on a number of activities related to energy, women, and gender, and this guide builds on that work as well as on other, separate initiatives over the past several years.
