Women and energy, working with men for gender equality and women’s economic empowerment were among the themes on the agenda, presenting valuable starting points for discussion and experience sharing regarding main challenges, possible partners, and potential solutions. Among the issues raised were the need for commitment at all levels of management, for reliable and gender disaggregated data, and for thorough reporting of results in a format eligible for comparison, both across years, projects and countries. The latter point was highlighted as of the outmost importance, as there was a definite idea that more is being done on the field of gender equality and women’s rights than what is currently being reported. NORAD, ILO-WEDGE (Women’s Entrepreneurship Development and Gender Equality) and ENERGIA, an international network linking gender and renewable energy, were among the resources promoted in solving these challenges.
The seminar ended with a half-day program for the six embassies chosen to as pilots in the efforts to achieve gender equality and strengthen women’s rights, among them the embassy in Ethiopia. This gave the relevant embassies an opportunity to give their feedback to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to share their own experiences, and to learn from each other.