Advancing Gender Equality in Just Energy Transitions

Which gendered and intersectional impacts, challenges, and opportunities exist in just energy transitions, especially in coal phase-out regions? As part of the IKI JET project, researchers at the Wuppertal Institute aim to answer this question. To this end, they conducted regional assessments and brought together leading experts in a series of three international webinars to explore the intersection of gender and energy transitions in coal-dependent regions. The event series was primarily aimed at participants from Indonesia and Colombia, enabling in-depth exchange and peer learning.

Each webinar was moderated by one of the project partners and addressed a distinct thematic focus:

• The Indonesian Dala Institute led the first session on gender and intersecting inequalities in post-coal mining contexts.
• The second session, moderated by experts from the Stockholm Environment Institute Latin America (SEI), examined the gendered legacies of coal and the intersectional impacts of phase-out processes.
• The third webinar focused on regional green development in East Kalimantan, one of Indonesia's most significant coal mining regions, and pathways toward a more inclusive energy transition. It was led by researchers from the Indonesian SMERU Research Institute.

All sessions followed an interactive format combining expert inputs, breakout discussions, and plenary exchanges. This allowed participants to move beyond general discussions and engage with more complex and often overlooked aspects of Just Energy Transitions.

Across the series, discussions highlighted persistent gaps between gender equality frameworks and their local implementation. The experts also identified structural barriers such as limited access to resources, underrepresentation of marginalised groups, and entrenched social norms. Their conclusion: Without targeted measures, these challenges risk reinforcing existing inequalities during transition processes.

Building on this, participants discussed opportunities to strengthen women's roles in emerging sectors such as agriculture and in Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) – but this requires enabling conditions and institutional support, according to the researchers. Strengthening inclusive participation and addressing institutional blind spots were highlighted as key priorities.

A central outcome of the series was the establishment of an international network of experts working on gender and Just Energy Transitions. The exchange fostered collaboration, strengthened connections across regions and contributed to ongoing knowledge sharing beyond the webinars.

The Wuppertal Institute organised the global networking activity as part of the IKI JET project.