Improving gender-inclusive access to clean and renewable energy in Bhutan, Nepal and Sri Lanka is an Asian Development Bank (ADB) supported project (JFPR Grant-9158 REG), being implemented by the ETC Foundation, Netherlands, in association with Centre for Rural Technology (CRT/N) (Nepal country partner). The project aims to increase rural poor women’s access to affordable and reliable clean energy sources and technologies in selected project sites in Bhutan, Nepal and Sri Lanka.

This report presents a gender review of the energy sector policies and programmes in Nepal, which was undertaken as part of the project. It assesses the gender inclusiveness of the energy sector at three levels: policy, programmes and organisations. In Nepal, energy access interventions and women’s empowerment are both understood as crucial to poverty reduction, but the linkages between gender and energy need to be recognized and addressed further. Increasing the visibility of
these linkages and addressing these through related policies and programmes can have far-reaching implications for economic development, as well as women’s equality and empowerment.

The gender review in Nepal was led by Indira Shakya, Soma Dutta and Subarna Kapali. The report was reviewed by Sheila Oparaocha and Govind Kelkar. The team would like to acknowledge the support received from the Asian Development Bank; the Nepal Resident Mission, especially Ms Suman Subba; Nepal Electricity Authority; the Alternate Energy Promotion Centre; the National Association of Community Electricity Users Nepal; and other organizations and individuals consulted.