Women in power form region body

Lalitpur, Feb. 20:

Women in power sector in the region Wednesday launched a regional network 'WePower' – Women's Professional Network for the Power Sector in South Asia.

The joint initiative, by the World Bank's South Asia Energy and Social Development Units under the South Asia Gender and Energy facility, was announced at the first South Asia regional conference of Women in Power Sector here.

The new organisation aims at supporting higher participation of women in energy projects and utilities, and promotes normative change regarding women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education.

WePower is envisaged to become a vibrant and self-sustaining professional network backed by strategic partners that can provide technical and financial support.

"Its work programme will focus on five strategic areas—education, recruitment, development, retention, and policy and analysis, read the press statement. It will provide capacity building support, networking, and mentorship for women engineers for career advancement, research to reform policies and practices, exposure to technology, recruiting opportunities, and access to information and conferences," said the organisers.

The World Bank Group has agreed to host the WePOWER Secretariat for an initial four years. A second Steering Committee meeting is planned to be held at ADB headquarters in Manila in November.

Moreover, an assessment conducted by the World Bank in eight South Asian countries found very low female enrollment rates in engineering programmes (ranging from 0.5 per cent to 31 per cent), low female staff representation in utilities (2 per cent to 17 per cent), and an even lower percentage of women in technical roles in utilities (0.5 per cent to 6 per cent).

The studies identified the need for role models and family support, absence of basic facilities and transport, and presence of various forms of discrimination and harassment.  

There are 4 per cent female engineering faculties in Nepal while Pakistan and Bangladesh have 15 per cent each, India 15.4 per cent, Bhutan 17 per cent and Sri Lanka 27 per cent.

According to the newly established organisation, early exposure to STEM, role models and family support are the key enablers for the professional development of women but the absence of basic facilities and transportation for women restricts their job and training opportunities, especially in the field.

Joint-Secretary at the Ministry of Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation Pravin Raj Aryal said that though female technical human resource have better opportunities in the country, they hesitate to go to the field.

Senior Director of Gender Global Themes Department at the World Bank Caren Grown said that the increasing number of women in organisation's Board of Directors would have positive impact on the Return on Equity.

Opened today with 150 attendees, including representatives of energy sector utilities and public agencies involved in projects, technical universities, women engineers, and students, the 2-day conference is co-hosted by the World Bank Group and the Asian Development Bank (ADB).

An ADB series of Gender Equality Diagnostic studies on the energy industry in South Asian countries has found that women’s skills and perspectives account for a small part of job and decision-making by energy sector agencies, said the multilateral donor in a press statement.

Published in The Rising Nepal daily on 21 February 2019.