Gender and Energy for Sustainable Development - A Toolkit and Resource Guide

About 2 billion people throughout the world rely on traditional fuels (e.g. wood, charcoal, dung, and agricultural residues) for cooking, lighting and heating. Women and girls are responsible for collecting these fuels in many developing countries. They spend considerable time and effort doing this which greatly limits their ability to engage in educational and income-generating activities. It also places them at higher risks of suffering from health problems, and possible long-term physical damage, due to fuel pollution and strenuous work. This toolkit and resource guide aims to help planners and practitioners integrate gender and energy considerations into development programmes, including those focusing on energy improvements. It outlines linkages between gender and energy in the context of sustainable development. The toolkits also provides indicators, suggestions and materials on how to address energy poverty by integrating gender and energy sensitivity into development programmes, projects, and policies. Recommendations for encouraging women's involvement in energy decision-making and for the use of energy technologies include: making technical training accessible to women; sharing information about energy-related technologies and techniques, combining local production of energy equipment with marketing and business training; and training more women to be involved in the energy sector.