“Energiya Joly” Podcast explores the path to sustainable energy in Central Asia. It has been launched by the EU-funded SECCA Project.

In the new 7th episode, the host and the guest speaker explore how heat pumps work, which types are best suited for Kazakhstan’s climate conditions, and how cost-effective their installation is. They discuss real projects in Kazakhstan, mistakes and barriers preventing the widespread adoption of this technology, as well as its potential for rural areas and industry.

Host: Zhaksylyk Tokayev, Energy and Climate Expert, SECCA’s National Coordinator in Kazakhstan.

Guest: Dr Altay Alimgazin, Ph.D. in Engineering, Associate Professor at the Department of Thermal Power Engineering of the L.N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University.

Watch the full episode here (in Russian):

This podcast is funded by the European Union. Its content is the sole responsibility of the consortium led by Stanted and does not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union.

Gender equality and clean and affordable energy are closely interconnected. They are both a Sustainable Development Goal (SDG), respectively “Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls” (SDG 5) and “Universal access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy” (SDG 7). Equally, they are also an enabler and a pre-condition for the achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development at large.

Girls and women have specific energy-related needs and make use of energy in different ways compared to boys and men, due to activities and responsibilities shaped by social norms and cultural beliefs around gendered roles. For instance, girls and women tend to be usually assigned domestic and care-taking chores which, amongst others, lead them to spend more time indoors, using energy to prepare meals, wash clothes, heat water, etc.

As such, access to reliable, affordable and clean energy is a major enabler for girls’ and women’s empowerment. When available, it reduces drudgery and saves time for girls and women in managing their domestic chores and enables them to pursue education, study also after sunset, engage in income-generating activities such as starting small businesses or working outside the home. Access to electricity also strengthens women’s safety and improves mobility when dark.

Additionally, clean cooking fuels play a critical role in protecting the health and safety. Households with no access to clean cooking fuels turn to burning wood, coal and manure, which generate hazardous, indoor air pollution that causes a variety of short and long-term diseases, including respiratory problems, eye irritation, allergic reaction, heart diseases and cancer. The World Health Organisation estimates that in 2020, 3.2 million people died globally due to indoor air pollution^[1]. As main users of cooking devices, girls and women are ultimately the main victims of inefficient cook devices. Furthermore, in the absence of clean cooking fuels, women are often tasked with procuring firewood, which implies a significant physical drudgery and increases women’s time poverty, as the daily time invested into collecting firewood cannot be invested into income-generating or educational activities.

Therefore, the degree to which energy policies, products and services are designed and delivered acknowledging, integrating and responding to the needs and views of women impact the effectiveness of energy programmes and policies as well as women’s empowerment. In turn, different levels of women’s empowerment affect the development and resilience of communities at large: global research has demonstrated that the higher the level of education and economic empowerment of women in society, the higher the wellbeing of households and communities, with documented positive impacts on children’s education, household’s healthcare, environmental preservation, corporate innovation and profitability, and societal resilience.

Assessing the Gender and Energy Nexus in Central Asia

In 2022 the European Union launched the EU Support to Sustainable Energy Connectivity in Central Asia (SECCA). The four-year project promotes a more sustainable energy mix in Central Asia in line with EU best practices. Covering Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, SECCA strives to strengthen and enhance a more inclusive policy, regulatory and institutional framework for a regional transition to a sustainable energy system. In doing so, it contributes to the promotion and integration of gender- and rights-based considerations into energy policies and targeted energy programmes.

In this scope of work SECCA recently conducted national gender assessments in each of the five target countries to investigate the status of the interconnections between access to clean energy and gender. Four specific dimensions were explored, namely:

1. The policy dimension of the gender and energy nexus
2. Access to electricity and clean cooking fuels
3. Girls in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education
4. Women’s employment in the energy sector.

The national and regional findings ensuing from this research were presented and discussed during a multi-stakeholder regional conference in Kazakhstan in October 2024.

Regional Overview and Challenges

Based on the research conducted by SECCA, countries within the Central Asian Region share a number of common features and trends, in addition to national specificities.

Gender-disaggregated data in the energy sector are largely unavailable. This applies to the gendered distribution of students across fields of study, the gendered breakdown of the energy sector workforce, pay grids in the energy industry as well as the demographics with and without access to electricity and clean fuels. While data are at times available for some sub-sectors, a systematic and regular collection of gender disaggregated data is lacking and, at best, replaced by estimates.

With regard to energy policies, references to gender equality and/or social inclusion remain limited. When available, they are more frequent in climate-related policies, documents and regulations than in the energy sector. Generally, Ministries of Energy do not yet have separate, dedicated resources, including budgets, to mainstream gender. It is however promising that Ministries of Energy in Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan have recently established a Gender Committee and a Gender Council respectively.

Gender imbalances are visible starting from STEM-related studies, which are mostly undertaken by men. While no data are available for girls in STEM in Tajikistan and Turkmenistan, current estimates and partial figures from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan indicate that girls account for about 30-40 percent of STEM graduates. Uzbekistan shows promising developments, with the Statistics Agency reporting a steady increase in the share of girls in STEM, raising from 32.6 percent in 2017 to 40.2 percent in 2021.

Women’s under-representation in these fields is not due to a lower retention of female students in education: data from Kazakhstan and the Kyrgyz Republic show that girls are underrepresented in STEM despite studying longer and being more qualified than boys. Social and cultural norms still play a key role in directing young student’s educational and professional paths: studies conducted in Uzbekistan and the Kyrgyz Republic point, in particular, to the predominant influence of parents and family environments.

Awareness is starting to be raised about the importance of building the talent force in sectors related to the energy transition. This occurs especially via international initiatives promoting girls in STEM in Central Asia, such as Skills4Girls by UNICEF and STEM4All by UNDP and UNICEF, whereas domestic programmes focus more on youth-oriented engagement than on girls-only initiatives.

The gender imbalance across fields of study is relevant also because it confines women to less paid jobs and positions. In particular, the energy sector displays one of the highest gender imbalances in the workforce among industries, with women accounting on average for 16 percent of the workforce in the energy sector in the Region.

Besides being significantly fewer than men, women’s employment in energy companies is also characterised by:

• An over-representation of women across lower paid and administrative positions
• Barriers in career advancement opportunities
• An under-representation of women in managerial and leadership roles.

In addition to the mentioned imbalance in STEM education, common barriers preventing or limiting women’s access, retention and progression within the energy sector workforce include cultural and societal norms, beliefs and expectations around gendered roles; gendered stereotypes about male and female capacities and aspirations; conservative role model projections; women’s low self-confidence; lack of women-oriented coaching, mentoring, networking and job placement opportunities; biased human resource and retention practices, and corporate policies not aligned to work-life balance. In fact, most energy companies in the Region do not currently comprise of specific policies and programmes to assess and improve their gender equality performance. Corporate programmes on awareness-raising, anti-harassment, gender equality targets, and gender mainstreaming trainings are mostly missing. The few corporate initiatives to improve internal equality and inclusion performance remain individual, voluntary measures.

The renewable energy sector is no exception to this gendered imbalance, although it offers a more nuanced picture: women’s employment therein is estimated to be higher than in the traditional energy sector in the case of Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan. In Kazakhstan, renewable energies employ fewer women than the traditional energy sector, whereas no notable difference between the two sectors is detected in Turkmenistan as far as women’s employment is concerned[2].

As to energy access, countries in the Region have generally achieved universal electrification. Yet, stable, affordable and reliable access to electricity is still not thoroughly ensured, particularly to dwellers in rural and remote areas, which still account for a large share of the population in countries, such as Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, where urban residents are a minority. Due to the roles and tasks that they are socially expected to perform, women are disproportionately impacted by the constraints and challenges posed by insufficient and unreliable energy access.

Promising Steps Forward

Findings from the SECCA research indicate that Central Asia is in its early days with regard to the integration of gender considerations across the multiple dimensions of the energy sector. Despite the large share of common issues, regional initiatives, exchanges and cooperation in the field remain few and at an early stage. Yet, the Region also features some examples of promising concepts and practices, a sample of which is provided hereafter.

• Associations of Women in Energy: Several associations of women in energy have been recently established in Central Asia, bringing together women working in the energy sector and committed to promote a more inclusive and gender equal energy industry. Initiatives such as the “Women in Energy Club”, the “Women for the Just Transition Network”, the Women’s Club “Oil Girl” in Kazakhstan or the “Women in Energy Association” in the Kyrgyz Republic hold dedicated activities such as awareness-raising events, training programmes, international cooperation, awards for female professionals, and networking platforms to gather female professionals in the energy public and private sector, increase visibility of issues of gender in the sector and promote a women-friendlier sector.
• Gender Equality Roadmap: In 2020, Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Energy developed a Gender Equality Roadmap with practices such as gender mainstreaming, gender indicators, women-friendlier corporate practices and work environments, equal opportunities expected to be implemented. While at present it is not clear to what extent the planned activities have been held, and with what results, the concept of a gender equality roadmap is potentially a valid tool in enhancing awareness, capacities and implementation of gender equality and women’s empowerment in the public and private energy sector.
• Gender Target: In 2022 the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan mandated all State companies to gradually increase the average proportion of women in the boards, boards of directors, and supervisory boards across the entire group of companies of the Samruk Kazyna Fund, which also includes energy corporations, so as to reach a 30 percent share by 2030.
• Gender Equality Board: In 2021, the Uzbek joint-stock company Uzbekenergo established a Gender Equality Board to promote gender equality within the company and provide dedicated support to female staff, safeguarding their rights, welfare and empowerment. In February 2024, the Board set also goals related to the collection and analysis of sex-disaggregated data about employees of the company, participation in local and international conferences, seminars and training devoted to gender equality. The Gender Equality Board plans to raise awareness about gender equality and the prevention of gender violence among the employees.
• Women’s Empowerment Principles: The Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs) are a set of seven principles developed by the United Nations Global Compact and UN Women to promote gender equality and empower women in the workplace, marketplace, and community. They are based on international labor and human rights standards and provide a framework for businesses to take action on gender equality and contribute to a more inclusive and equitable workplace and society. As of November 2022, 44 Kazakhstani companies were WEPs signatories, including KazMunayGas, the largest national oil and gas company.
• Mentoring Programme for Women in Energy: Since 2022, the OSCE in partnership with the Global Women’s Network for the Energy Transition (GWNET) has been running a dedicated mentoring programme to support Central Asian mid-career women working in the energy transition field by matching them with experienced energy professionals from the Region and beyond and contributing to strengthening local women’s skills, changing gendered perceptions and fostering female leadership.
• MBA Programme for Women in Energy: In 2022 the first dedicated Executive MBA programme on “Women’s Leadership in the Energy Industry” was launched in Atyrau Oil & Gas University in Kazakhstan, to prepare women to become highly professional, proficient managers and business partners in the energy sector.
• Regional Cooperation: In 2022, the Gender Council of the Ministry of Energy of Uzbekistan and the Association of Women in Energy of Kyrgyzstan signed a memorandum of cooperation and understanding to expand cooperation opportunities and increase the role of women in the energy sector, promoting gender-oriented professions in the energy sector, engineering and engineering ICT-technologies, providing consulting, information assistance to the younger generation, as well as organizing joint projects and analytical work.

Preliminary information about the current implementation of and impacts from these initiatives show that, if effectively applied and scaled up regionally, they have the potential to make the energy sector significantly more inclusive and gender-equal.

 

Author of the article: Silvia Sartori, Gender Specialist, EU-funded SECCA project.

The article was originally published on the the Florence School of Regulation (FSR) website: https://fsr.eui.eu/advancing-gender-equality-and-clean-energy-in-central-asia/

The contents of the article are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union.

The SECCA project is funded by the European Union and implemented by a consortium led by Stantec sa/nv with Intec-GOPA International Energy Consultants, ACTED, and the Florence School of Regulation (FSR) – Energy, as consortium partners.

 

[1] World Health Organisation, Indoor air pollution, 2023. Available at: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/household-air-pollution-and-health.

[2] Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), 2024. Advancing a Just Energy Transition in Central Asia: Women’s Key Role in the Energy Sector. Available from: https://www.osce.org/files/f/documents/f/f/561811.pdf

 

Mary, Turkmenistan – From 10-31 March 2025, the State Energy Institute of Turkmenistan (SEIT) of the Ministry of Energy of Turkmenistan hosted a training workshop on ‘Studying the peculiarities of introducing innovative energy efficiency technologies in the manufacturing sectors of the economy in the climatic conditions of Turkmenistan’. This training workshop was organised jointly by the SEIT, the European Union project “Sustainable Energy Connectivity in Central Asia (SECCA)” and the UNDP project “Sustainable Cities in Turkmenistan: Integrated Green Urban Development in Ashgabat and Awaza”.

The event was attended by the specialists of the Ministry of Energy of Turkmenistan, teachers and students of SEIT, specialists of the Scientific and Production Centre ‘Renewable Energy Sources’ at SEIT, key experts of the SECCA project, experts and international consultants of the UNDP project.

The aim of the training workshop was to study the international experience in legal regulation of energy saving and energy efficiency fields. During the presentations, the activities carried out jointly by the Ministry of Energy, SEIT, SECCA project and UNDP project on capacity building of the national specialists, organisation of Sustainable Energy Days and environmental actions for the youth were presented.

The participants learned about the activities of the EU-funded SECCA project and the UNDP Sustainable Cities project in the areas of sustainable energy, renewable energy sources (RES), energy efficiency, waste management, zero waste and the possibility of using waste as RES.  Additionally, the participants discussed the possibility of cooperation between SEIT, the SECCA project and the UNDP project in the field of renewable energy and energy efficiency development.

During the training workshop, international consultants also provided the participants with a wide range of information on the implementation of innovative energy efficiency technologies in residential and industrial buildings. The workshop participants were informed about the benefits of RES and energy efficiency and the experience of developed countries in creating a legal and regulatory framework for the development of these sectors.

Online – The European Union funded project “Sustainable Energy Connectivity in Central Asia (SECCA)” held the Initial Training Workshop on Energy Modelling for the specialists of the Ministry of Energy of Turkmenistan and other relevant agencies, as well as the faculty members of the State Energy Institute of Turkmenistan. This online event aimed to enhance the preparedness of the national specialists ahead of in-person training workshops on energy modelling planned to take place in the country in April 2025.

The online and in-person workshops follow three Regional Trainings on Model-based Integrated Energy and Climate Analyses organised by the SECCA project for the young professionals from Central Asia on 24-27 September 2024, 11-13 December 2024, and 28-31 January 2025. The first and the third regional trainings were also attended by the project’s state partners and national coordinators in the beneficiary countries. Based on the information provided during these regional events and considering the state of application of modelling in developing sustainable energy strategies for Turkmenistan, representatives of Turkmenistan specifically asked the SECCA project to hold these training workshops in the country for the national specialists.

Among other, the work of the SECCA project on energy modelling focuses on building capacities of the Central Asian countries to develop national energy sector models and improving local systems thinking and knowledge (data) based decision making in the energy and climate sectors.

On the occasion of 8 March International Women’s Day, the EU-funded SECCA project produced a special episode of the “Energiya Joly” Podcast dedicated to the women’s transformative role in the energy sector.

In this episode, experts in energy efficiency Aiman Shopayeva (Kazakhstan) and Ilze Purina (Latvia) joined the conversation to share their experiences, along with examples of successful cases and best practices.

Watch the full episode here (in Russian):

“Energiya Joly” Podcast explores the path to sustainable energy in Central Asia. It has been launched by the EU-funded SECCA Project.

This podcast is funded by the European Union. Its content is the sole responsibility of the consortium led by Stanted and does not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union.

 

Tajikistan – On 28 February 2025, the first roundtable dedicated to the topic of women’s participation in the energy sector of Tajikistan took place in the city of Khujand. It will be followed by similar discussions in the cities of Boktar, Jalolidini Rumi, Kulob, Norak, Yovon, and Tursunzoda on 3-5 March 2025.

Despite the Government and development partners’ significant efforts, there are still challenges in attracting girls in education in STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) disciplines in Tajikistan and, therefore, a substantial gender gap in the number of male and female students in this fields of study.

During the European Union – Tajikistan Sustainable Energy Days campaign in 2024, it was found out that only 9 out of approximately 1000 students of the Institute of Energy of Tajikistan (IET), the only specialised institute in the country, are girls. Then, the IET proposed to hold a series of events in the country’s regions to raise awareness among the high school female students about education in STEM and inspire them to pursue career in the energy sector.

The high-level officials of the Ministry of Energy of the Republic of Tajikistan, honoured female energy professionals of Tajikistan, IET management staff, representatives of regional executive bodies, education departments, and public schools, experts of the European Union (EU) funded SECCA project, as well as main target audience – high school and IET female students and their parents – are taking part in these events.

The participants discuss the EU’s experience in promoting women’s involvement in the energy sector, explored the relevant success stories of the Tajik women, reviewed the Government’s initiatives to support girl’s education and women’s career in energy and STEM.

These roundtables aim to raise awareness of the girls and their parents about the higher education and existing employment opportunities in the energy sector, with an ultimate goal of increasing the number of girls pursuing the STEM and energy studies and career.

Mary, Turkmenistan – A training workshop on “The Role of Sustainable Energy in Environmental Protection: Studying the Features of Renewable Energy Development in Turkmenistan’s Climatic Conditions” was jointly organised by the European Union (EU) funded project “Sustainable Energy Connectivity in Central Asia” (SECCA) and the UNDP project “Sustainable Cities in Turkmenistan: Integrated Development of Green Cities in Ashgabat and Awaza” in Mary from 10 to 28 February 2025.

The seminar was held in a hybrid format and brought together specialists from the Ministry of Energy, faculty members and students from the State Energy Institute of Turkmenistan (SEIT), experts from the SEIT-based Scientific and Production Center “Renewable Energy Sources” as well as experts and international consultants of the EU’s SECCA project and the UNDP’s sustainable cities project.

Participants explored opportunities for renewable energy development considering Turkmenistan’s climatic conditions, international experience in regulatory frameworks, best practices in renewable energy utilisation, and EU countries’ experience in implementing renewable energy technologies in public buildings and the residential sector.

International consultants provided insights into the selection and maintenance of solar power plant equipment for operation in regions with high levels of airborne mechanical impurities (such as sand).

Seminar attendees also studied the technical operation of Turkmenistan’s new hybrid solar-wind power plant, installed on the shores of Altyn Asyr Lake, and discussed its expected performance and benefits. This power plant is the first in Turkmenistan to generate clean electricity solely from solar and wind energy, without greenhouse gas emissions.

As part of the training seminar, participants visited the production facilities of the Scientific and Production Center “Renewable Energy Sources,” enhancing their practical skills in designing, constructing, maintaining, and operating clean energy generation systems.

The seminar also included a presentation on the development of the regulatory and legislative framework for renewable energy in Turkmenistan, covering the adopted “Law on Renewable Energy Sources” and the “Law on Energy Efficiency and Energy Saving”. The UNDP project presented on the National Strategy for Renewable Energy Development in Turkmenistan until 2030, developed with the UNDP support and approved by a Presidential Decree.

This training workshop marked another step toward strengthening the capacity of SEIT faculty in preparing young specialists for Turkmenistan’s power sector.

Mr Paata Janelidze, SECCA Team Leader and Key Expert, noted: “Energy efficiency and renewable energy play a key role in achieving the goals of the Paris Agreement. The topics covered in the workshop are particularly relevant for Turkmenistan in addressing climate change challenges and achieving climate goals. They also contribute to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The participation of women in this seminar is especially valuable in the context of SDG 5 “Achieving gender equality and empowering all women and girls”.

Online – The Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Tajikistan and the European Union (EU) funded SECCA project held an online seminar “Opportunities for Tajikistan’s Participation in Horizon Europe: Potential for International Cooperation”. The event was attended by representatives of the Ministry and higher educational institutions of Tajikistan.

Although Tajikistan is eligible to participate in the programme as a third country, the involvement of its research organisations has been limited so far. This online seminar was specifically designed to provide both general and practical insights into Horizon Europe’s participation framework and to explore opportunities for strengthening international research collaboration with the EU.

Along with the SECCA project experts, the Horizon Europe Cluster 5 National Contact Point (NCP) in Kazakhstan shared Kazakhstan’s experience in participating in the programme and provided insights into the country’s NCP network.

As the first event in Tajikistan dedicated to promoting the Horizon Europe programme, the seminar raised awareness among participants about the programme and the opportunities it offers to researchers and scientists from Tajikistan.

 

Background:

Horizon Europe is the European Union’s flagship research and innovation program with an ambitious budget of EUR 95.5 billion. One of its key strengths is its comprehensive and interdisciplinary approach, fostering collaboration across various sectors and disciplines. Participation in Horizon Europe not only provides funding but also enhances international networking opportunities, tackling global challenges such as climate change, the green transition, and digital transformation.

Tashkent, Uzbekistan – On 18-19 February 2025, SECCA project key experts Paata Janelidze and Ilze Purina took part in the Central Asia Local Hub Forum of the Cities Climate Finance Leadership Alliance (CCFLA). The event brought together the representatives of governments of the Central Asian countries, project preparation facilities, international financial institutions (IFIs), and the representatives of the European Union and its Member States.

The CCFLA Local Hubs Program was launched in 2023 to leverage its global network of members and climate finance expertise in addressing urban climate investment challenges in various countries. The Central Asia Local Hub was established the same year and focuses on coordinating building decarbonisation efforts in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, with an emphasis on project preparation.

At the panel discussion on the challenges and opportunities of building decarbonisation in Central Asia, the SECCA project experts explored actionable strategies with partners and experts and shared the European Union’s experience in developing and implementing buildings energy efficiency policies.

The event raised awareness of the buildings’ decarbonisation agenda in the region, collaboratively defined a roadmap to advance this agenda and project preparation efforts, as well as reflected on key milestones and lessons learned from implementing the regional Local Hub over the past two years.

Turkestan, Kazakhstan – The representatives of the Ministry of Industry and Construction of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the experts of the European Union funded SECCA project visited the city of Turkestan on 11 February 2025. As part of this visit, they presented the Energy Efficiency Certificates to 26 public schools built in the Turkestan region in 2023–2024, and delivered an educational lecture on energy efficiency of buildings for the school principals and the representatives of Departments of Education of the Turkestan city and region.

Kazakhstan prioritises energy conservation and saving, introduction of relevant regulatory requirements, and reduction of the energy intensity of buildings by 15% by 2029. The Government considers the use of buildings energy efficiency labelling as one of the most effective solutions to increase transparency in energy consumption and encourage the implementation of energy-efficient technologies, particularly in the public sector, which currently accounts for 8% of total energy consumption. For this, the legislative framework has already been established in Kazakhstan, including approved regulations for determining energy efficiency rating and a building labelling system that meets the European standards.

The Ministry of Industry and Construction, in collaboration with the SECCA project, has been systematically working to promote energy efficiency in the country’s educational institutions and a more widespread use of energy efficiency labelling. As part of this work, in 2024, the parties initiated an energy efficiency analysis of 100 new public school in Kazakhstan and organised a series of regional training sessions for representatives of government bodies and educational institutions in the cities of Shymkent, Turkestan, and Aktau.

The visit to Turkestan and the activities it involved raised the awareness of the participants about Kazakhstan’s and the EU’s energy efficiency policy and showcased successful sustainable energy solutions for public buildings.