ENERGIANet No.1 December 2000

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

Table of Contents

• ENERGIA announcements
• Commission on sustainable development: CSD-9
• Conference information
• Projects
• Publications
• Research studies
• Internet resources
• Vacancies/staffing
• Subscribe

ENERGIA announcements

Change of Name for ENERGIA
ENERGIA will change its name from “ENERGIA International Network on Women and Sustainable Energy” to “ENERGIA International Network on Gender and Sustainable Energy” as of next year (2001). Five years ago when we started, gender was an unfamiliar term in the energy sector. Today, however, gender is beginning to be heard more frequently and is better understood by energy professionals.

ENERGIA News
Volume 3.3 of ENERGIA News is out, which is a special 24-page issue on Africa, including:

• Rural Community in Ghana Benefits from Rural Electrification: The Appolonia Biogas Plant by Sabina Anokye Mensah;
• From the Kitchen to the Boardroom: Reflections on Power Relationships in Gender and Energy Practice and Policy by Wendy Jill Annecke;
• Gendered Impacts of Climate Change - A Human Security Dimension by Fatma Denton; and
• The Multifunctional Platform: Decentralised energy for gender-aware poverty reduction in rural West Africa by Nalini Burn and Laurent Coche.

• Volume 3.4 (December 2000): Issue on the World Renewable Energy Congress – Energy and Gender Workshop.
• Volume 4.1 (March 2001): Issue on the Commission on Sustainable Development-9 - Gender and Energy Perspectives. Deadline for submissions: 5th January 2001.
• Volume 4.2 (June 2001): Supply-side Issue. Deadline for submissions: 19th March 2001.

Commission on sustainable development: CSD-9

The Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD) was founded in 1993 to oversee the implementation of Agenda 21, a document which came out of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) in Rio de Janeiro, 1992 - the Earth Summit. CSD will have its 9th session tentatively from 16 to 27 April 2001. Items on the agenda are atmosphere, energy, information for decision-making and participation, international cooperation for an enabling environment and transport.
ENERGIA will participate in CSD-9 as a member of both the CSD NGO Women's Caucus and the NGO Energy Caucus. ENERGIA is planning on a side event at the CSD 9th session and further has ENERGIA been drafting an ENERGIA Support Group/CSD NGO Women's Caucus position paper on gender and energy as input to the NGO Caucuses reports to the Secretary-General's report, Dialogue Sessions, European Union position, etc. The final paper is out and is posted on the Women's Caucus archives and can be found under preparations for CSD-9 on the following site: http://www.earthsummit2002.org/wcaucus/csd9/CSD-9.htm
The position paper will be reviewed at workshops on gender and energy at Village Power 2000 and on gender and wood energy in Bangkok in November-December. The position paper also provides input into papers that are being prepared by Hesphina Rukato and Ulrike Roehr for the International Expert Workshop on Gender Perspectives for Earth Summit 2002.

International Expert Workshop on Gender Perspectives for Earth Summit 2002
To be held from 10-12 January 2001 in Berlin, Germany.
Sponsored by the German Federal Ministry for Environment, Nature Protection and Nuclear Safety and the Heinrich Boell Foundation.
The workshop will provide an overview and develop recommendations on gender perspectives from developing and developed countries on these issues, which will be discussed at the UN Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD) 9th Session in April/May 2001. The website includes useful resources on the issues under discussion. Background papers have been commissioned to prepare for the workshop. Each of the issues is being covered from a developing and a developed country perspective, respectively; they are being co-authored by experts from a developed and a developing country. Although the workshop is by invitation only, the papers will be published on the website around mid-December 2000, also inviting you to comment.
For more information, visit the website at: http://www.earthsummit2002.org/workshop
For feedback, or if you would like references, documents, projects, links, etc. to be added, please contact: Jasmin Enayati, United Nations Environment and Development (UNED) Forum.

Conference information

Village Power 2000
From 4-7 December 2000 in Washington DC. The conference is hosted by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), the World Bank, the UNDP World Bank Energy Sector Management Assistance Programme (ESMAP), the US Agency for International Development (USAID), and Winrock International.
The theme of the conference is “Empowering people and transforming markets”. Linked to the conference is a half-day workshop on Gender in Energy, entitled “Moving Toward Equity and Sustainability in Rural Energy: Putting Gender Concepts into Action”, in which a number of ENERGIA members will be contributing. Registration should be done before 17 November. As conference space is limited, registration after this date will be on a space available basis and is not guaranteed. Registration forms can be found on the following website: http://www.rsvp.nrel.gov/vpconference/vpconference.html, or mail to Barbara Ferris.
For more information on the Gender in Energy Workshop, mail to Lisa Büttner

Women in Energy
A conference organised by the South African Department for Minerals and Energy. It will be held from 11-13 December 2000, at ICC in Durban (South Africa) and is by invitation only.
The Conference in particular recognises and acknowledges that in most developing countries, women are primary energy users and the need for Ministers to explore ways of using policy to empower and promote safer and healthier technologies for women.
For more information, visit: http://www.dme.gov.za, or mail to Mrs Prudence Pitsie.

Projects

Publications

Clancy J. and L. Redeby. Electricity in Households and Micro-enterprises: Energy and Environment Technology Source Book
For more information and orders, please contact: orders@itpubs.org.uk

ENERGIA, ELCI, UNIFEM and Winrock International. Proceedings of the Regional Workshop on Women and Sustainable Energy in Africa, held 13-15 March 2000, Nairobi, Kenya.
For more information and orders, please contact the ENERGIA Secretariat.

Hays, Irene D. and Barbara C. Farhar. The Role of Science and Technology in the Advancement of Women Worldwide. NREP/TP-820-28944. Golden, CO: National Renewable Energy Laboratory. September 2000.
In order to view the document, go to: http://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy01osti/28944.pdf
For further information, contact Barbara Farhar.

Klingshirn A. Integrating Household Energy into Rural Development Programmes.
This article draws on over fifteen years of the author's personal experience plus studies in the household energy sub-sector to argue for integration of biomass energy conservation into all rural development programs, provided household energy conservation is a felt need defined by people themselves in the program area.
For more information, please contact Agnes Klingshirn.

Lvovsky K. First Newsletter on Indoor Air Pollution in India and Elsewhere. ESMAP. October 2000.
The newsletter can be viewed at the following website:
http://www.worldbank.org/html/fpd/esmap/news_field.htm

Roddis S. Senegal: The Role of Women in the Traditional Energy Sector – Gender Inclusion in an Energy Project. World Bank Findings No. 152. Washington DC, February 2000.
Findings can be accessed via the World Bank Group's website at: http://www.worldbank.org/afr/findings
Or email: pmohan@worldbank.org

Schirnding von, Y. Household Energy Use, Health and Development.
Background paper (draft) prepared for the USAID / WHO Global Consultation on Indoor Air Pollution and Household Energy in Developing Countries, Washington, 3-4 April 2000
More information can be obtained from Yasmin von Schirnding.

UNDP. Gender and Energy: how is Gender Relevant to Sustainable Energy Policies? UNDP, June 2000.
The report can be downloaded from: http://www.undp.org/seed/eap/Projects/Gender_and_energy.pdf
If this address fails, go to http://www.undp.org and look for their energy and environment page.

UNFPA. The State of the World Population 2000 – Lives Together, Worlds Apart: Men and Women in a Time of Change. UNFPA, New York.
The report can be viewed at the following website: http://www.unfpa.org/swp/2000/english/index.html

Research studies

Technology and Development Group, IT Power Ltd. and Cornland International. Energy, Environment and Sustainable Development: Addressing Gender Concerns in Energy Research within the Commission of the European Community
The findings of this study and seven parallel studies in other research areas will be presented at an international conference in 2001. The team would like to hear from women in the energy sector within the EC and other industrialised countries to help define “best practice” for incorporating gender concerns in research and identify women's priorities in energy.
For more information, please contact: Joy Clancy, team leader.

Parikh J. and V. Laxmi. Biofuels, Pollution and Health Linkages: A Survey of Rural Tamil Nadu.
For more information and orders, please contact Jyoti Parikh.

Internet resources

ECOWOMAN is a loose collective of professional women scientists and technologists and grassroots women involved in science in the Pacific, including activities related to women and renewable energy (solar ovens, cement stoves, and solar lanterns).
http://www.wigsat.org/ofan/activities/ecowoman.html

FAO Sustainable Development Dimensions on the Food and Agricultural Organisation of the United Nations’ site has interesting links to renewable energy and women's sites. Log on at: http://www.fao.org/

Horizon Communication Solutions Site Case Study site, which displays renewable energy case studies, including three from Nepal and Kenya that have a gender focus. Log on at: http://www.solutions-site.org/default.htm

The Household Energy Development Organisations’ Network (HEDON) is an informal consultative forum of diverse organisations working in this field. The site offers access to an electronic network, chance to comments on circulated papers written by members working in household energy, and information on conferences and meetings.
http://www.energy.demon.nl/hedon/docs.htm

Indian Ministry of Non-conventional Energy Sources has a number of programmes on women and renewable energy that involve women as end-users, installers, and energy entrepreneurs. The website is not comprehensive but it does include contact information for specific projects. Also accessible at this site is contact information for the All-India Women's Conference, an Indian Government nodal agency for propagating improved stoves and implementing the national Project on Biogas Development. http://mnes.nic.in/welcome.html

ITPublications, Intermediate Technology's London publishing arm provides the opportunity to order books and gives access to their quarterly periodicals. http://www.oneworld.org/itdg/publications.html

Solar Sisters: On the web site of the Himalayan Light Foundation, it makes solar technology available to people involved in income generating activities and educational programmes that benefit the community and the poor by focusing on bringing solar power to Nepali women. http://www.panasia.org.sg/nepalnet/hlf/home.htm

Vacancies/staffing

African Gender Institute (AGI) Associates Programme 2001
Announcement of opportunity for Short-Term Associateships for Work on Gender Equity and Social Transformation at the University of Cape Town, South Africa.
The aim of the programme is for a limited number of African women from across the continent to be offered the opportunity to be based at the University of Cape Town. Each associate will be afforded the time and space to reflect on their experiences and use the library and other facilities in order to complete a writing project of their own choice and design, within the broad framework of gender equity and social transformation. There is a choice of two possible dates during 2001:

• Arrive during May 2001, return home during August 2001. Closing date for application is 31st December 2000.
• Arrive during September 2001, return home during December 2001.

More information can be found at the following website:
http://www.uct.ac.za/org/agi/assoc/assoc20.htm, or contact Brenda Martin.

Project Manager and Development Officer
Energy Alternatives Africa, Ltd. (EAA) in Nairobi Kenya
This Kenya-based consulting firm, which works to develop rural and renewable energy infrastructure in East Africa, seeks a mature applicant to manage projects and to develop the companies project portfolio. The position will ideally be filled by February 1, 2001. The position will involve two primary roles:

1. Managing and participating in rural and renewable energy projects in the East Africa region. This involves working with partners to develop new products, services and energy supply strategies; conducting applied research on introduction and dissemination of biomass, solar, wind and hydropower technologies; conducting energy audits and recommending viable energy systems to clients both on and off-grid; and managing on-going projects in Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Somalia and Ethiopia.
2. New project development involving assessing local and regional work opportunities; meeting with clients to assess interest and desire for proposals; development of concept papers and proposals for clients; and coordinating proposal writing.

Skills/Qualifications required:
Strong writing skills; marketing skills; ability to speak, present ideas; ability to develop projects from ideas to concept paper to proposal; management and planning skills; PhD/MSc in rural development or energy field or extensive work in energy/rural development; mature, leader in field; team worker.
The ideal candidate will be familiar with rural development issues. The candidate will have a strong understanding of local energy issues and infrastructure, knowledge of the renewable energy sector in the region, and experience working with solar, wind, biomass and/or energy efficiency. Please send an application including CV and one-page statement explaining why you feel you are the best candidate for the job. Include telephone contact and details of 3 referees.
Send to: Mark Hankins.

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