ENERGIA

Region

Global

Programme Summary

This international network links individuals and groups interested in energy, sustainable development, and gender. ENERGIA's goal is to contribute to the empowerment of rural and urban economically poor women through a specific focus on energy issues. The immediate purpose of the ENERGIA project is to contribute to strengthening the capacity to integrate gender and energy into policies and programmes of government institutions, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), knowledge institutions, multi- and bilateral donors, and private companies engaged in sustainable development in the South and in the North. ENERGIA is active in Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, Latin America, North America, and Oceania.

Communication Strategies

ENERGIA draws upon a variety of communication strategies and tools in order to create connections between people engaged in issues related to gender and energy. In brief, Phase 1 (1996-1999) was focused mainly around the production of a printed publication (also accessible online) called ENERGIA News; ENERGIA Phase 2 (1999-2002) was centred around seven main activities, including continued publication of the newsletter, capacity building, advocacy, establishing a resource centre, and regionalisation. The third phase of the ENERGIA programme continues the activities undertaken during Phase 2, with a focus on capacity development to integrate gender and energy in policy, programmes, and projects for sustainable development, as well as the consolidation of the network. These strategies are designed to further ENERGIA's vision of increasing Southern influence in the network, and to further mainstream gender and energy in energy and sustainable development policies, programmes, and research at the international, regional, and national levels.

The internet is one medium through which ENERGIA pursues these activties. The interactive ENERGIA website features a database with contact details of people and organisations with an affinity for gender and energy. Where available, expertise profiles for individuals and organisations or programmes are included; individuals and organisations included in the database can access and edit their own expertise profile. A second example of the way in which technology is used to build collaboration is the "focal points" page on this website, which is designed to facilitate communication points between grassroots members and the wider international ENERGIA network. These focal points, the contact information for which are available on the project website, have a catalytic role in initiating gender and energy activities within their networks. In Africa one regional, three subregional, and nine national focal points have been established, while in Asia six national focal points have been selected.

In addition to connecting people, ENERGIA undertakes research and shares information. Links to a variety of resources, publications, and related websites are included on the website. ENERGIA News is a printed newsletter on concepts and practice in the field of gender and sustainable energy, which is available online as well. ENERGIA News provides a forum to collect, analyse, discuss, and disseminate information and experiences. It depends for articles on contributions from people working in the field directly focused on gender, women and energy issues. In addition, details are also available on the ENERGIA website about research such as the United Kingdom Department for International Development (DfID)-funded project "Gender as a Key Variable in Energy Interventions: Are We Asking the Right Questions?" As detailed here, the research brought together experts on gender and energy in a Collaborative Research Group on Gender and Energy (CRGGE). The group included policy researchers from France, Kenya, India, the Netherlands, the Philippines, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Uganda, the United Kingdom (UK), and the United States, who further involved other researchers in their networks and countries in the endeavour. The challenge was to move towards a framework for gender and energy policy research in the 21st century, to build capacity in our own institutions and networks, and to influence the international energy policy research agenda as well as practice. In line with this research-based strategy, the third phase of the project focuses, in part, on synthesis and review of existing literature, case study research, and dissemination of the materials, which will be used in ENERGIA's capacity building and advocacy activities (e.g., highlighting, for policymakers and planners, the importance of integrating gender and energy in sustainable development policies and programmes.