New mapping report scans global landscape on Gender Equality, Social Inclusion and Sustainable Energy

BONN, Germany – As global leaders are looking for new approaches to accelerate sustainable energy progress, Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL) announced a new report today mapping efforts already underway to end energy poverty and advance clean energy by empowering women and promoting gender equality and social inclusion. The report was unveiled during Gender Day at the UN Climate Conference (COP23) in Bonn, Germany.

The report, Opening Doors: Mapping the Landscape for Sustainable Energy, Gender Diversity and Social Inclusion (FR), maps the global landscape of support for women and marginalized groups in sustainable energy across organizations, programs and policies. It focuses on 45 countries that are most critical to achieve the Sustainable Development Goal 7 targets, which call for universal access to sustainable energy services by 2030, including access to electricity, clean cooking, renewable energy and energy efficiency.

“By identifying and leveraging promising efforts that are already happening on gender equality, social inclusion and sustainable energy, we can make a far bigger difference – collectively - in accelerating progress on the SDG7 goals and ensuring that no one is left behind,” said Jane Olga Ebinger, Policy Director at SEforALL, who spearheaded the report. “While the data is by no means comprehensive, it also reveals important, immediate challenges for stakeholders working in this space in Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia and other priority regions around the world.”

The report shows an active, but very fragmented, landscape that provides an important foundation to grow and accelerate action on gender and social inclusion in sustainable energy. The report provides immediate recommendations that philanthropic donors and financial institutions can take to enhance integration and action on these issues.

Dr. Ellen Dorsey, Executive Director of the Wallace Global Fund, who funded and helped catalyze the report, welcomed Opening Doors and its findings. "Donors are uniquely equipped to help advance a truly transformative agenda for women’s rights by rapidly accelerating access to sustainable energy. As the world seeks to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals and uphold the Paris Climate Agreement, there is no other single strategy more effective than investing in women and sustainable energy."

More details on the report can be found online here, and the executive summary here (FR).

In Bonn at the COP23? Join us at our side activities;

• COP23 side-event: People-Centered Accelerator (Nov. 15)
• COP23 side-event: Why Wait? Energizing Finance to Seize the Energy Access Dividend (Nov. 16)

Find out more about what SEforALL announcements and activity at COP23 here, and follow us on Twitter - @SEforALLorg - for the latest updates.