Choose an application

• Reference Manager
• EndNote
• RefWorks (Direct export to RefWorks)

This policy brief suggests ways for Afghanistan to integrate gender and social aspects into energy projects, to better address the country's energy challenges and enhance its development impact. The energy sector increasingly recognizes that men and women experience different levels of access to benefits and exposure to risks and that these are important elements to be considered for effective policy-making and project design. Women and men have different roles, responsibilities, and voice within households, markets, and their communities. Despite significant improvements, gender equality remains a major challenge in Afghan society, with women and girls being far more disadvantaged than men and boys. Rural grid electrification interventions that involve men and women into project implementation can lead to increased electricity access and use. Energy efficiency measures that specifically target men and women can improve adoption rates and drive behavior change. This policy brief presented a series of actions embedded into energy interventions aiming to address Afghanistan's energy challenges and improve gender equality. Four types of energy interventions were selected: grid and off-grid electrification in rural areas, energy efficiency initiatives, and electricity pricing policies. This policy brief seeks to show how Afghanistan can integrate gender and social concerns into energy projects to better address the country's energy issues and achieve greater development impact. Chapter one gives introduction. Chapter two examines how energy can benefit men and women, emphasizing the gender-differentiated impacts of energy on human development and economic empowerment. Chapter three presents the socioeconomic status of Afghanistan and provides overviews on gender and the energy sector. Chapter four identifies several strategies for integrating gender and social considerations into the development and implementation of energy projects and programs in Afghanistan, including on-grid and off-grid electrification in rural areas, energy efficiency initiatives, and electricity pricing policies, with the aim of addressing current specific challenges.

Electric Power --- Energy --- Energy Demand --- Energy Efficiency --- Energy Policies and Economics --- Energy Sector --- Gender --- Gender and Energy

Choose an application

• Reference Manager
• EndNote
• RefWorks (Direct export to RefWorks)

Getting to Gender Equality in Electricity Infrastructure: Lessons from Electricity Generation, Transmission, and Distribution Projects examines the social and gender footprint of large-scale electricity generation, transmission, and distribution projects to establish a foundation on which further research and replication of good practices can be built. The main impact pathways analyzed are access to land and labor markets, along with social sustainability considerations, including health and education. The study adopted this approach because, according to the World Development Report 2012, gender equality in access to land and labor markets matters for women's agency and empowerment. In addition, the study considers the role of the energy utilities and businesses to better understand the roles of various stakeholder. The study's mixed-methods research approach comprises critical in-country qualitative and quantitative field research, along with extensive literature and portfolio reviews. Qualitative analyses of several projects distinguished by their project type, energy source, and geographical representativeness were conducted to better understand how infrastructure construction can change the lives of local people. The World Bank Group (WBG) portfolio review provides guidance on how to operationalize good practices and lessons learned to move the energy-gender agenda forward. The study's primary audiences are energy task teams and social and gender specialists of the WBG and other leading development agencies, along with energy practitioners seeking better ways to address the gender aspects of energy infrastructure projects throughout the project and lending cycles.

Gender --- Gender and Economic Policy --- Gender and Economics --- Inequality --- Infrastructure Economics and Finance --- Infrastructure Regulation --- Labor Markets --- Labor Policies --- Poverty Reduction --- Social Protections and Labor