Vanuatu advances inclusive and resilient energy planning through consultation on gender-responsive capacity needs – Islands Business

Advancing inclusion in the energy sector in Vanuatu is essential as access to energy is not experienced in the same way by everyone. Women, youth, people with disabilities and marginalized communities often face greater barriers to accessing reliable, affordable and safe energy services, while remaining underrepresented in decision-making and technical positions in the sector.

Recognizing this, the Government of Vanuatu, through the Department of Energy (DoE) under the Ministry of Climate Change Adaptation, Meteorology and Geohazards, Energy, Environment and Disaster Management (MoCC), in partnership with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), has organized a series of consultations as part of the Gender Responsive Capacity Needs Assessment undertaken under the Project Vanuatu Energy Sector Resilience (VERP), supported by the Infrastructure Resilience Accelerator Fund. (IRAF) of the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI). The VERP project aims to strengthen the resilience of Vanuatu’s energy infrastructure against climate-induced disasters while promoting inclusive and equitable development.

The consultations were part of the gender and social inclusion assessment process led by Michela Lugiai, gender analyst at VERP. The gender-responsive capacity needs assessment combined an online questionnaire, telephone interviews and focus group discussions. The methodology consisted of participatory institutional self-assessment processes designed to identify knowledge, attitudes, skills, policy gaps and institutional barriers related to gender-responsive energy resilience planning.

The online survey collected feedback on needs and capacity gaps from around 30 stakeholders, covering a wide range of organizations and sectors working on gender equality, social inclusion, disaster risk reduction and green energy. The institutional workshop brought together in Port Vila around fifteen representatives of government institutions, public services, civil society organizations, development partners and private sector actors. Opening the institutional consultation, Matthew Tasale, director of energy at the Ministry of Climate Change, stressed that resilience must go beyond infrastructure alone. “Women, children, the elderly, youth and people with disabilities are often disproportionately affected when electricity and essential services are disrupted. This is why resilience is not just about infrastructure. Resilience is also about inclusion,” Mr Tasale said.

The workshop explored existing institutional and sectoral gaps related to gender mainstreaming, leadership representation, accessibility, safeguarding, data collection and participation in the energy sector. Discussions also focused on ways to strengthen policies, training systems, coordination mechanisms and a long-term capacity development framework.

Speaking on behalf of UNDP, Imran Khan, VERP Project Manager, highlighted that sustainable energy transitions must also be inclusive transitions: “Globally and in the Pacific, the energy sector remains heavily dominated by men, particularly in technical and management roles. With workshops like this, UNDP is committed to supporting in-depth thinking about the gaps that still exist and the practical actions we can take to ensure that women, youth and people disabled people are not only beneficiaries of energy projects, but also active participants and leaders within them,” he said.

Following the institutional consultation, two separate focus groups with women entrepreneurs and sellers from different islands around Vanuatu were organized with the support of the Markets for Change initiative, jointly implemented by UNDP and UN Women, and through engagements with women participating in the VANWODS Microfinance solar project initiative supported by the National Green Energy Fund (NGEF) and UN Women. These sessions created a space for women to openly discuss the realities they face regarding energy access, economic participation, resilience and social inclusion in their daily lives and in their businesses.

During discussions with market sellers on Efate Island, participants shared the impact of climate change on their livelihoods, with heavy rains, cyclones or droughts negatively affecting crops, and how green energy provided by small solar systems helps them with night lighting to continue their productive activities during dark hours, or refrigerators and small appliances for cooking, grinding or extracting coconut oil. Many women explained how improved, accessible and more reliable energy could also improve food preservation, safety, children’s education and economic opportunities for them and their communities. Some of them raised the need to be trained on guidelines and protocols to ensure the safety and maintenance of small energy systems during climatic hazards, such as cyclones or the most recent earthquake. Selected women participating in the VANWODS solar project also reflected on the importance of using green energy for economic empowerment, access to sustainable energy solutions and the need for greater inclusion of women’s perspectives in energy development planning processes. Some women reported difficulty accessing maintenance services for solar-powered refrigerators and a lack of technicians on the ground, advocating for the engagement of more women and youth in technical jobs for operation and maintenance in the energy sector, as well as strengthened policies to improve quality standards of small energy systems. All women also mentioned the positive impacts of access to microcredit and solar-powered freezers, allowing them to always repay their loans on time and support their business and their children’s education.

Reflecting on the consultation process, Michela notes that the discussions reveal how resilience, inclusion and energy access are closely linked in Vanuatu. “Energy in Vanuatu is not just about providing electricity. It is about dignity, security, empowerment, livelihoods, health care, education and resilience. What is becoming very clear throughout these consultations is that infrastructure alone is not enough. Sustainable energy systems must also reflect the realities of the people who rely on them every day – these systems are not gender neutral, but they must respond to specific needs women, men, girls, boys, people with disabilities and marginalized communities,” said Ms. Lugiai.

The results of the assessment will support the refinement of the VERP Gender Action Plan and contribute to strengthening inclusive and climate-resilient energy systems across Vanuatu, while informing the formulation of a gender-responsive capacity development framework for a resilient and equitable energy sector.

The VERP project – technically supported by UNDP and CDRI – aims to strengthen the capacity of the Ministry of Energy and national partners to integrate resilience into energy planning, design and operations, while ensuring that gender equality, inclusion of persons with disabilities and social inclusion are mainstreamed across the sector.

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