Meeting ENERGIA Members

Soma Dutta
ENERGIA Regional Network Coordinator for Asia

Interview by Chesha Wettasinha

What is your present involvement in the field of gender and energy?
I have been working as an independent consultant for the last seven years in the fields of rural and renewable energy and rural development. Within the energy sector, I have been involved in capacity building and training; project management; monitoring and evaluation of renewable energy technologies and programmes; documentation; and gender issues. In one of my ongoing projects, I have been providing, on behalf of UNDP, inputs on gender mainstreaming to a UNESCAP initiative aimed at strengthening national capacities in integrating energy issues into rural development policies in the Mekong region.

You have been closely associated with Winrock India for some time. What exactly have you been doing?
During the last four years, I have provided consultancy support on specific projects as well as in core areas such as project planning and proposal development. Winrock International India (WII) is an affiliate of Winrock International, a global non-profit organisation, and is registered as a non-governmental organisation in India with its headquarters in New Delhi. Winrock focuses on three principal thematic areas: Natural Resources Management, Energy and Environment, and Agriculture and Enterprise Development. In my role as ENERGIA Regional Network Coordinator (RNC) I will be supported by the Energy and Environment Group at WII, which has made a long-term commitment to working on gender and energy.

We know that you have an interest in local governance issues. How do you give this shape?
I am associated with a number of grassroots organisations, assisting them in areas of project planning and proposal development, participatory monitoring and evaluation, and documentation. Recently, I have also been associated with a citizens’ group, which is working towards promoting the active participation of citizens in governance, and ensuring transparency in government functioning.

What kind of work were you involved in before venturing out as a freelance consultant?
Prior to working as a freelance consultant, I worked with TERI (The Energy and Resources Institute), a non-governmental organisation working in energy, environment, and sustainable development. At TERI, I was the area convenor of the Rural Energy Group, coordinating the research activities in the rural energy field, developing an interface with other research areas within TERI and other organisations including NGOs, and conducting research on environmental issues, renewable and rural energy policy, gender issues, and people's participation in sustainable development.

As a member of the ENERGIA network in Asia, how would you describe the network?
I have been associated with ENERGIA for the last few years and am a part of the Planning Group. ENERGIA members within the Asia region are a vibrant group of individuals and institutions, and bring to the network an immense wealth of expertise, knowledge, and experience. The variety is reflected not just in terms of the experience that the network members have in dealing with gender issues in a range of themes and sectors such as water, enterprise development, micro-credit, and forestry, but also in the types of organisations: national and regional level networks, academic and research institutions, NGOs. A network of this nature, which pools a vast range of experiences, can perform several important functions including: recording experiences, opinions, viewpoints, and perspectives; disseminating information, experiences, viewpoints, and perspectives; facilitating the exchange of ideas, experiences and expertise; advocating the needs and concerns of the member institutions to regional, national and international policymakers; and providing a forum for innovation and the development of methodologies.

As Regional Network Coordinator, what role will you play in furthering the ENERGIA Network in Asia?
I view the RNC's position as an opportunity to be proactively involved in the process of institution building, which is likely to be a challenging task. I expect to play a strategic role in defining gender and energy priorities for the region, facilitating the process of needs assessment on the national and regional levels, and translating these needs into concrete network activities. Some of the other priority areas are to build institutional linkages with other institutions and networks; advocacy at international, regional, and national level meetings concerning energy and development activities; as well as network-building activities including putting in place mechanisms for harnessing core competencies within the network and facilitating the sharing of expertise within the network.

What is your long-term vision for the Network in Asia?
I hope that, through its varied activities, ENERGIA will promote proactive collaboration between professionals and organisations with the aim of positioning gender and energy at the forefront of the agendas of national and local level governments, as well as in international bodies. I would also like to see ENERGIA as a network whose activities are relevant, useful, and responsive to members’ needs, as well as in line with the gender and energy priorities of the region, and characterised by values of professionalism, quality, and accountability. I would like to see the ENERGIA -Asia region serve as a think-tank on gender and energy issues, conducting or coordinating high quality research and analysis, and raising the level (quality and quantity) of the information available on women and energy, so as to include the perspectives, knowledge, and skills of women both at the informal and the professional levels.

You participated at the recent ENERGIA Asian Focal Point meeting in Bangkok. What were your impressions of this event?
The first Asian regional meeting of ENERGIA in Bangkok was attended by participants from several countries from South and Southeast Asia. Gender and energy activities in many of these countries are already underway, with national focal points selected to steer the activities in their respective countries. The event was a great success and a useful forum for all of us to meet, interact, and share our views and experiences. Beyond the meeting objectives, it was also a wonderful meeting point for cross-cultural exchanges. I look forward to many more such meetings.

On a more personal note, could you tell us a bit about yourself?
I live in Noida, a suburb of Delhi, with my family and have a five-year old daughter. I hold a Bachelor's degree in Economics and a Postgraduate Diploma in Rural Management from IRMA, India. I love to read, travel, and birdwatch; and I am interested in music, particularly classical.

To contact Soma:
E-159, Sector 21, Jalvaya Vihar, Noida - 201301, India.
Tel:+91.(0).2532932;
Email: somadutta@vsnl.com