Gender equality is an inherent right and fundamental element for achieving a sustainable future
for our planet. Beyond its intrinsic value as a core development objective, gender equality is smart
economics, as stated in the World Development Report 2012 (World Bank 2011). The World Bank Group
(WBG) has scaled up gender mainstreaming, with a particular focus on the WDR framework (Box 1.1). Greater gender equality can enhance productivity, make institutions’ decision making more represen tative of society, and improve development outcomes for the next generation. Yet gender inequalities persist in many sectors, undermining the rights of women and girls. In the energy sector, the gender dimensions of risk exposure and benefits, including access to services, are increasingly recognized as part and parcel of effective policy making and project design (ESMAP 2013). The WBG is committed to empowering women as energy users—supporting individual and household welfare, including income-generating and productive-use activities—and pro viders of energy services (World Bank 2013). However, addressing gender equality and social inclusion in the context of upstream infrastructure development, which is equally important, has been little explored (World Bank 2011). Overlooking the potential gender-differentiated impacts of energy infrastructure projects at any stage in the project cycle runs the risk of undermining project effectiveness,
efficiency, and ultimately sustainability; that is, the design of such projects may lead to unintended negative impacts for women, as well as a failure to achieve the project objective and missed opportunities for improving overall development outcomes (ESMAP 2013)

Getting to Gender Equality in Energy Infrastructure: Lessons from Electricity Generation, Transmission, and Distribution Projects

Resource Key: FB3674W6

Document Type: Report

Creator:

Author:

  • Maria Beatriz Orlando
  • Vanessa Lopes Janik
  • Pranav Vaidya
  • Nicolina Angelou
  • Ieva Zumbyte
  • Norma Adams

Creators Name: {mb_resource_zotero_creatorsname}

Place: Washington D.C.

Institution: World Bank

Date: January 2018

Language:

Gender equality is an inherent right and fundamental element for achieving a sustainable future
for our planet. Beyond its intrinsic value as a core development objective, gender equality is smart
economics, as stated in the World Development Report 2012 (World Bank 2011). The World Bank Group
(WBG) has scaled up gender mainstreaming, with a particular focus on the WDR framework (Box 1.1). Greater gender equality can enhance productivity, make institutions’ decision making more represen tative of society, and improve development outcomes for the next generation. Yet gender inequalities persist in many sectors, undermining the rights of women and girls. In the energy sector, the gender dimensions of risk exposure and benefits, including access to services, are increasingly recognized as part and parcel of effective policy making and project design (ESMAP 2013). The WBG is committed to empowering women as energy users—supporting individual and household welfare, including income-generating and productive-use activities—and pro viders of energy services (World Bank 2013). However, addressing gender equality and social inclusion in the context of upstream infrastructure development, which is equally important, has been little explored (World Bank 2011). Overlooking the potential gender-differentiated impacts of energy infrastructure projects at any stage in the project cycle runs the risk of undermining project effectiveness,
efficiency, and ultimately sustainability; that is, the design of such projects may lead to unintended negative impacts for women, as well as a failure to achieve the project objective and missed opportunities for improving overall development outcomes (ESMAP 2013)

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