Silvia SARTORI

Since 2005 I have been working extensively in the fields of climate resilience, rural development, poverty alleviation and their intersection with gender equality, social inclusion and women’s empowerment.

For instance, between 2013 and 2017 I initiated and curated the gender component for the EU-funded “SWITCH-Asia Programme” that comprised of some 100 grant projects and policy support components in 18 developing Asian countries. They operated across several sectors (incl. agriculture and energy) and promoted sustainable consumption and production among mostly rural and last-mile communities. While the Programme was about to approach its first decade, I realized that it had never integrated gender. In addition to my role as a stakeholder manager and knowledge management expert, I thus proposed to launcha series of activities at the projects and programme levels to start mainstreaming gender, collect related data and embed gender into any future programme strategic development. Approved by my supervisor and the Programme Officer at the EU HQs, several gender-related activities unfolded. One of the key results was the publication of my ensuing study “Advancing Sustainable Development and Women’s Empowerment in Asia” in the EU Bookshop in 2017. The study collected evidence of how a conducive enabling environment can upgrade women from mere “climate victims” or “beneficiaries” to powerful change agents, with their own unique potential to drive the sustainability agenda at large.

Further examples of my experience and interest in advancing development with a sustainable and inclusive approach include my recent work (2022-2023) with the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) to mainstream gender into the design and implementation of projects promoting gender equality and women's empowerment in the energy sector in Central Asia. Between 2021 and 2022 I managed the women’s economic empowerment portfolio of ENERGIA International Network on Gender & Sustainable Energy with dedicated projects enabling access to clean energy and productive uses of energy to women in rural areas and last-mile communities in Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia. As a pro-bono mentor with the Global Women's Network for the Energy Transition, I am building the capacity of women working in the energy sector worldwide, to advance the energy transition in their countries.