Photo: .shock/Getty Images
Photo: .shock/Getty Images
The 8th of March, celebrated in many corners of the world as International Women's Day, not only promotes the accomplishments of women and their rights but also acts as a driving force for worldwide initiatives promoting gender equality. Women in Bosnia and Herzegovina have a rich history of resilience and activism advocating for their rights since 1913. Despite progress, challenges persist, including gender disparities in education, employment, and political representation. Another interesting and less known celebration is happening within the same week, on the 5th of March – World Energy Efficiency Day, remarking this month as the perfect momentum to bring these important issues together.
Energy efficiency and gender equality, seemingly two distant concepts, have more synergies than we might think. Although international days and celebrations are important as they help to concentrate public attention on the most urgent issues, gender equality and energy efficiency need year-round efforts aims to shed interlinkages how these two seemingly different concepts are coming together to create a more just world.
Examining energy transitions through a gender perspective enables us to guarantee that the transition is just for all social groups. This lens offers a deeper insight into how to avoid an uneven distribution of benefits, costs, and risks in energy transitions potentially leading to the creation of new inequalities or worsening existing ones.
Women in Bosnia and Herzegovina have less work and power than the EU average. The OECD Development Centre’s Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI) found that different social norms and practices are restricting access to productive and financial resources for women in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the index value for this area is almost four times higher than EU average. Energy, on the other side, is a priority for Bosnia and Herzegovina from several perspectives – energy security, public health, climate change effects, and indirect spillover effects on social and economic changes in the system.
Nevertheless, the Green Agenda for the Western Balkans (GAWB), as the framework that supports countries in the Western Balkans to work towards climate neutrality, considers both aspects. Working towards climate neutrality means reducing greenhouse gas emissions as much as possible, and we should not just be talking about eco-friendly technology. Energy efficiency is a prerequisite for achieving decarbonization at the lowest possible cost and must be integrated in any future energy-related policy and investment decisions. The transition to climate-neutrality must also be socially just and inclusive to succeed. The Paris Agreement also has several references to the importance of gender equality, putting it at the top of the climate change agenda.
Empowerment is the key to both energy efficiency and gender equality. Whether empowering stakeholders to take control of their energy usage or empowering women and girls to pursue their dreams and aspirations, the result is a more empowered and resilient society. It is very important to consider the joint effect of many small initiatives within the framework of collective outcomes. Implementation of local projects highlighted that several smaller-scale projects can have a greater impact as they allow for a decentralization of the benefits. The number of energy communities, where local communities join forces and invest in clean energy, across Europe is increasing, and they can be a very important link between these two topics, through strengthening the communities and civil society sector in BiH.
Finally, innovations and embracing new ideas will be essential for implementing a green and sustainable transition in a just manner. Whether coming up with new ways to save energy or finding innovative solutions to promote gender equality and integrate it into new business models, innovations will drive this transformation. This year, the International Women´s Day theme is “Invest in women: accelerate progress”, highlighting the need to focus on achieving gender equality and improving the well-being of women in all areas of life.
"The BiH SuTra Programme wishes everyone a pleasant celebration of 8th of March and the year around, working for gender equality and sustainable development."
Let's remember that even small actions can make a big difference. We should acknowledge that more attention needs to be directed to ensuring that the energy transition is not only realistic and pragmatic, but also equitable and just. Let us not forget the achievements of more than 100 years of battle for more equal rights. This important holiday is a catalyst for sustainable development, highlighting the imperative of gender equality and women's empowerment in fostering a more inclusive future.
For more information about the interlinkages between gender and just energy transitions, read a Q&A with Laura Del Duca, expert in gender equality, social equity and poverty in BiH SuTra.
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