17 April 2013: The World Bank’s Energy Sector Management Assistance Program (ESMAP) has produced a briefing note, online resources and guidance tools aimed at assisting policy makers and project designers to integrate gender equity considerations into energy sector programs.

The briefing note, titled “Integrating Gender Considerations into Energy Operations,” draws out the main issues regarding gender and energy. National level experiences related to integrating gender considerations in the design and deployment of energy programs, as well as World Bank experience in mainstreaming gender in energy projects is highlighted. Three key elements: assessment, action, and monitoring and evaluation are examined in the briefing note. An online compendium accompanying the briefing note provides a set of tools including sample questionnaires, checklists and terms of reference aimed at energy and social development practitioners to be used in the process of considering how best to integrate gender considerations in the planning stage of energy sector programs. A video, highlighting a participatory energy management project in Senegal that includes gender equity as one of its key development objectives, has also been developed.

All these resources draw on the experience of ESMAP’s Africa Renewable Energy and Access (AFREA) gender and energy program, where gender considerations have been integrated into five energy operations in Senegal, Mali, Benin, Tanzania and Kenya.

ESMAP is a global, multidonor technical assistance trust fund administered by the World Bank and cosponsored by 12 official bilateral donors. [Publication: Integrating Gender Considerations into Energy Operations] [ESMAP press release and video] [Online compendium]