ENERGIANet No.9 January 2004

The E-Newsletter of ENERGIA International Network on Gender and Sustainable Energy

Welcome to the ninth issue of ENERGIANet.

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Please keep sending your gender and energy announcements and/or suggestions to Chesha Wettasinha

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Contents

• News from ENERGIA
• Projects/Programmes
• Publications
• Internet Resources
• Training
• News from Donors
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News from ENERGIA

ENERGIA Regional Network Coordinator for Asia
ENERGIA welcomes Soma Dutta as the ENERGIA Regional Network Coordinator (RNC) for Asia. Soma is an independent consultant in the fields of renewable energy and rural development, and is actively involved in gender mainstreaming. Her areas of expertise are capacity building and training, project management, monitoring and evaluation of renewable energy technologies and programmes, documentation, and gender. As ENERGIA's Regional Network Coordinator, she is institutionally affiliated to Winrock International India, and is supported by Winrock's Energy and Environment Group. ENERGIA looks forward to an energetic partnership not only with Soma, but also with Winrock International India. Soma can be contacted at: somadutta@vsnl.com

South and Southeast Asia Focal Point Meeting in Bangkok, Thailand, 1-5 December 2003
ENERGIA's South and Southeast Asia Focal Points meeting was another step forward in strengthening the network. Twenty-six representatives of institutions both from within and outside Asia participated at the meeting. Of these, nine were from established national gender and energy networks from India, Philippines, Nepal, Vietnam, and Sri Lanka. Observers from countries interested in joining ENERGIA from Cambodia, Burma, Lao PDR, Pakistan and Indonesia were also present. The meeting was an opportunity to introduce the network to other programmes in the region i.e. UNIFEM, UNDP, Bangkok SURF and AIT, and to discuss potential partnerships with these programmes.
Makereta Sauturaga from the recently established Pacific Energy and Gender Network brought in perspectives from another region in a South-South exchange. K.V Ramani (APDC and APENPLAN) and Christina Aristanti (ARECOP) also shared interesting insights based on their experiences of networking at regional and national level.
The main outcomes of the workshop were: setting of regional priorities, agenda and structure for the network; getting a better understanding of networking at the regional and national level; and identifying potential partnerships with other regional programmes.
The full report of the workshop will be available on the ENERGIA website by end February 2004. For any further information please contact the ENERGIA Secretariat, or Soma Dutta.

Gender and Climate Change at COP-9, Milan, Italy, 1-12 December 2003
“Is gender an issue in climate change, and if so, how should it be approached?”
At an informal meeting organised by LIFE and ENERGIA on 5 December 2003, more than 30 people took stock of the interest of participants at COP-9 in gender as an issue in climate change and to plan for increasing the visibility of gender issues in the climate change debate. Five main areas of concern were identified:

1. Lack of gender specificity in the criteria related to the climate change instruments
2. Lack of gender specificity in relation to the vulnerability/adaptation discourse
3. The need for case studies which illustrate both how climate change itself, and how projects (both mitigation and adaptation) affect men and women differently
4. The underlying gender connections between climate change agreements and other international treaties
5. The lack of participation of women in the whole process.

A follow-up one-day event at COP-10 to raise these issues within the wider climate community was agreed upon. Five subgroups were set up to deal with the five themes outlined and to plan for COP-10. Meanwhile, a “Gender and Climate Change Network” has been established with communication facilitated via a website www.gencc.interconnection.org and a listserve.
Persons interested in joining the network are most welcome to contact Roselyne van der Heul, or Leanne Wilson.

“Promoting Gender Equality, Providing Energy Solutions, Preventing Climate Change”
Another important gender side event at COP-9 was the Seminar hosted by the Swedish Ministry for the Environment on 10 December 2003: “Promoting Gender Equality, Providing Energy Solutions, Preventing Climate Change”. Inputs on behalf of ENERGIA were made by Fatma Denton of ENDA - Tiers Monde-Senegal who participated as a panellist. For more infromation on the outcomes of the Seminar, contact Johannah Bernstein, Environmental Law and Policy Consulting.

Training of Trainers (TOT) on the Methodology for Participatory Assessment (MPA) of Improved Cookstoves Programmes, Chiang Mai, Thailand, 23 February - 2 March 2004
ARECOP - Asia Regional Cookstove Programme - has designed this training as a strategy to overcome the many failures of improved cookstove programmes (ICPs) in the region during the past decade. Lack of user participation has been identified as one of the main reasons for the failure of ICPs. Thus, the training of trainers focuses on the use of participatory tools and approaches in ICPs. In meeting the capacity-building needs of its members in Asia, ENERGIA is sponsoring several trainers, proposed by the National Focal Points, to attend this TOT on MPA in Thailand.

Thematic Background Paper (TBP) for Renewables 2004: “Gender Equity and Renewable Energies”
In preparation for the International Conference for Renewable Energies, Bonn 2004 (Renewables 2004), ENERGIA in collaboration with the Technology Development Group of the University of Twente in the Netherlands and LIFE in Germany, are developing a TBP on gender. The paper will provide a crosscutting overview of gender aspects and the use of renewable energies. The main purpose of the paper is to provide input to an “Issue Paper” which in turn will be the basis for discussion at the conference feeding into the final conference output. As such, the paper will provide decision makers with options for integrating gender aspects into policies and actions. The development of this paper is supported by GTZ.

Development of a gender and energy toolkit and resource guide
UNDP and ENERGIA are in the process of jointly developing a practitioners’ toolkit and resource guide for engendering energy projects and incorporating gender and energy sensitivity into overall development planning. This guide will serve as a resource for capacity building activities involving UNDP country office staff, government officials and policy-makers, project designers, NGO groups, donor organisations and others working on sustainable development programmes. It will provide the target audience with relevant information on the cutting edge of current practice on women and energy activities to support poverty reduction and sustainable development to guide future activities in this area. The resource guide is to be ready by April 2004.

ENERGIA News
ENERGIA News 6.2 is a special issue on Gender and Energy in the Oceania region will be ready in February 2004.
The following issues of ENERGIA News are planned for 2004:

• Issue 7.1: Gender and Rural Electrification (April 2004)
• Issue 7.2: Gender and Energy in the Water Sector (August 2004)

If you wish to contribute articles to any of these issues, please contact Chesha Wettasinha at the ENERGIA Secretariat.
If you have subscribed to ENERGIA News, but have not received a copy, or if you wish to subscribe to ENERGIA News, please contact the ENERGIA Secretariat.

Projects/Programmes

Sun for Life
Sun for Life (SFL) based in Switzerland works to empower women and fight deforestation and desertification. It works in partnership with non-governmental organisations in countries in the South. The SFL solar cooker is specially designed to use material freely available anywhere in the world. SFL trains local women in the construction and use of solar cookers, enabling them to eventually become trainers. A step-by-step guide to construction is available on the web site www.sunforlife.com. SFL welcomes names and addresses of women who are interested in becoming trainers.

HEDON Associate programme for young professionals
In order to build the capacity of young professionals to develop effective and sustainable household energy projects, and to increase regional participation in the network, the HEDON Household Energy
Network is launching the HEDON Associate Programme. The programme aims to provide young professionals with the substantive knowledge, communication skills, resources and practical experience necessary to develop sustainable household energy projects and to become effective agents of change. The full announcement can be downloaded from:
www.hedon.info/docs/HEDONAssociateProgramme.pdf
It can also be read on-line at: www.hedon.info/goto.php/HEDONAssociateProgramme, or obtained from Grant Ballard-Tremeer.

Publications

Smoke - the killer in the kitchen
Smoke in the home from cooking on wood, dung and crop waste kills nearly one million children a year. In its report, “Smoke: the Killer in the Kitchen”, ITDG is calling for global action to save the lives of 1.6 million men, women and children lost each year to lethal levels of household smoke. The report can be read on-line at: http://www.itdg.org/index.html?html/smoke/smoke_index.htm~mainFrame
Files in pdf format can also be downloaded at this web page. Orders for printed copies can be placed at www.developmentbookshop.com, or by e-mail at: orders@itpubs.org.uk

Energy for Rural Livelihoods - a Framework for Sustainable Decision-making
Alison Doig, Simon Dunnett, Smail Khennas and Tim Jackson
Published in September 2003 by ITDG Publishers, this book presents a range of analytical techniques to assist in evaluating and comparing energy technology options. It takes into account the challenge of integrating social priorities, environmental issues, financial constraints, gender differences, demographic characteristics, technical considerations and institutional frameworks into a coherent decision-making framework. The analytical techniques are elaborated through case studies from various parts of the developing world. The book is priced at £ 12.95 and can be ordered at: http://www.developmentbookshop.com/book.phtml?isbn=1853394874

Country Reports on Household Energy Situation
New on the SPARKNET site, these on-line country reports allow for comparison to be made between seven eastern and southern African countries on factors related to energy supply and demand. Go to the SPARKNET web site and click on “Country Reports” in the left menu. The “Report Builder” incorporated into the site allows users to put together their own reports with the factors and countries that interest them most, and in the format they prefer (tables, graphs). Users are encouraged to send in their comments, concerns and suggestions on the reports through the feedback forms on each section.

Internet Resources

Community Problem Solving
Be strategic, get engaged, make a difference, and make new mistakes is the challenge offered by the developers of this new website: http://www.community-problem-solving.net/. The learning space offered by the site is useful for anyone who is involved in urban or rural community-related work, tackling important social problems and promoting change. The three main learning resources offered are strategic tools, programme tools and learning community. The user is encouraged to pose questions and learn from others about the “art and science of problem solving” as a strategy for a changing world.

Biomass Cooking Stoves
www.repp.org/discussiongroups/resources/stoves/ provides plenty of information and photos related to biomass cooking stoves. The site provides links by country and also by topics such as health and environment, gender and economic development, safety and dissemination. Join the “Stoves” list by signing up at: http://listserv.repp.org/cgi-bin/wa.cgi?SUBED1=stoves&A=1 and share your stoves-related experiences with others. For more information contact Ron Larson.

ProBEC - Programme for Biomass Energy Conservation in Southern Africa
ProBEC is a SADC (Southern African Development Community) programme currently active in six countries: Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, and Zimbabwe. The new ProBEC website presents information about biomass energy conservation activities in each country. It provides training modules and guidelines for planning, implementation, and assessment of biomass energy conservation measures developed by the project http://www.probec.org/goto.php/bectools/index.htm. The integration of gender aspects into biomass energy is considered (http://www.probec.org/goto.php/bectools/th.gender/index.htm).

On-line library of WSSD documents
The International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) and the Northern Alliance for Sustainability (ANPED) have been collaborating in developing a website, “Civil Society and the WSSD” (http://www.wssd-and-civil-society.org/), since the end of the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) in September 2002. This website presents a broad range of ideas and information developed as a result of the Johannesburg Summit which would otherwise be lost - focussing not just on the inter-governmental process, but also on a range of meetings and initiatives developed in the space created by the official event. The search function allows organisation-wise or content-wise searching of documents.

HEDON - new website
HEDON's new website is now online: with a new look, new features, and a new web address - www.hedon.info. The site has been made more functional and accessible. The on-line library is now interactive and users can add documents themselves by signing up to the network. The new forum is a dynamic, interactive, and open ‘Knowledge Base’ that incorporates user-contributed ‘how-to’ guides, organisation profiles, personal profiles, and household energy information. Users without web browser access can read the web pages by e-mail through the web-to-mail service. For instructions on how to use this service, send an e-mail to fetch-page@hedon.info with the word “help” in the subject line or body text.

Training

Renewable Energy in Local, National and Global Context with Socio-economic Perspectives, 25 February - 5 March 2004, New Delhi
IRADe (Integrated Research and Action for Development) is inviting applications for this international training programme, designed to be of particular relevance for developing countries in Asia and Africa. It is open to professionals in governmental, non-governmental and private organisations, and women are encouraged to apply. The course consists of lectures and discussion sessions on a range of issues, including international energy issues, national energy planning, the need for participative approaches, entrepreneurship and community-based initiatives, and gender. Prof Anoja Wickramasinghe, the Focal Point for the national Gender and Energy Network in Sri Lanka will be providing the gender inputs at this workshop.
For more information on the programme, please contact the programme coordinator, or visit the web site.

Energy for Sustainable development, 22 March - 2 April, Cape Town, South Africa
IMA International is organising this two-week course at the Business School of the University of Cape Town. The course will focus on energy as a pivotal enabler for development planning and management. Participatory planning toolkits will be demonstrated and practiced coupled with methods of monitoring and evaluating energy development projects. Poverty and gender appraisal techniques will be a key area of study.
More information and on-line booking at: http://www.imainternational.com/esdsa2004.php

News from Donors

South Asia Regional Initiative for Energy (SARI/Energy) - Small Grants Programme: Round 2
Winrock International (WI), a US-based nonprofit organisation that works in international energy and other development issues, in partnership with Winrock International India (WII) and the Institute of International Education (IIE), is seeking proposals for projects that encourage regional cooperation in South Asia on issues of mutual regional concern in the energy sector. The first round of the programme was completed in 2003. In Round 2, SARI seeks project proposals that address research or outreach needs on energy issues of mutual concern in South East Asia. More information can be found at: http://www.sari-energy.org/SmallGrantsFiles/RFP_Round2.doc
Deadline for receiving proposals is 20 February 2004. Any questions regarding this request for proposals can be submitted to Johanna Gregory Partin.

Global fund for women
The Global Fund for Women is a grant-making foundation supporting women's human rights organisations around the world working to address critical issues such as gaining economic independence, increasing girls’ access to education and stopping violence against women. Proposals for grants are accepted from organisations, which are led by women, consist of women working together, and have a strong commitment to women's equality reflected in their activities. Grant application procedures and other news can be found on:http://www.globalfundforwomen.org/

Computeraid
Computer Aid International aims to bridge the digital divide by refurbishing computers from the UK for re-use in non-profit organisations in developing countries working in the areas of health, education or community development. Application for computers can be done on-line or by requesting a hard copy application form. A small charge is made per computer to cover the costs of collecting, testing, re-furbishing, and packing. Shipping costs are additional.
More information at: http://www.computeraid.org/

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