Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) has become an important aspect of international development, highlighting equality and addressing social injustices to achieve sustainable development.

On Monday, 22 April 2024, National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) held an insightful discussion on “Mainstreaming GESI in Clean Cooking Energy Transition”. As an effort to support energy transition for household sector, the Department of Circular Economy of BRIN in collaboration with the Institutional Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) is currently undergoing research on Clean Cooking Road Map for Indonesia and providing discussion platform with various stakeholders. The discussion was attended by governments, private sector, research institutions, and international organisations.

GESI hold a prominent role in the clean energy transition process, including in Indonesia. However, economic considerations appear as the main hinderance in achieving the energy transition. This discussion is intended to explore the impact of the energy transition from a GESI perspective. The discussion explored the existing conditions for the clean cooking energy transition from various aspects such as participation, comfort, safety, cleanliness, practicality, affordability, health and family welfare.

In this opportunity, Indira Pradnyaswari, Associate Research Analyst of ACCEPT II and Veronica Ayu Pangestika, Associate Research Analyst of ASEAN Centre for Energy attended the discussion and share their insights during the forum. Indira shared that ACCEPT II has been promoting gender equality in the energy and climate sector through various approach, one of which is publishing energy-gender report in ASEAN. She also mentioned that there is an urgent need to start initiate and institutionalised the gender and energy aspect. This intention leads to a more focused approach in increasing women participation in the energy sector. Taking the cue from the Philippines, the country has established a dedicated body named Department of Energy – Gender and Development (DOE-GAD) to focus on gender inclusivity in the Philippines’ energy sector. Additionally, Philippines’ action could be seen as a best practice to involve more women in the energy sector.

From the discussion, it is concluded that budget limitation and the access of clean energy is still lacking especially for those who live in remote islands in archipelagic country like Indonesia. Moreover, it is also highlighted that housewives play important role in the decision-making process at household sector. Therefore, women’s voice is highly crucial to move forward energy transition for clean cooking activity.

In conclusion, the forum determined that transitioning to clean energy for cooking must be particularly attentive to gender equality and social inclusion (GESI) aspects. Multistakeholder collaboration is essential to driving substantial progress in gender equality and social inclusion within the energy sector. Additionally, policies should be developed or revised to facilitate the transition to clean cooking energy more effectively. Regarding technological options, the discussion focused on electric stoves, gas networks (city gas), and dimethyl ether (DME) as alternative solutions for clean cooking.

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