The Qazaq Green RES Association jointly with the Office of the Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities (OCEEA) and with the support of UNDP Kazakhstan held "Regional Workshop on fostering women's participation in the energy sector in Central Asia" in Astana on December 7-8,2022.

The participants noted the importance of supporting energy companies to understand the benefits of a gender-diverse workforce and to provide guidance on how to integrate gender equality objectives into recruitment policies and to attract and retain more women.

Nurlan Kapenov, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Qazaq Green RES Association, Giulia Manconi, Project Managerand Energy Security Officer, OSCE, and Kumar Kylychev, Head of Energy and Environment Unit, UNDP Kazakhstan, delivered the welcoming speech.

In the Workshop programme, the participants discussed topics such as "Setting the Stage: Gender and Energy", "Mainstreaming Gender into Energy Policy", "Women's Participation in the Energy Workforce" and "Gender and Energy Transition".

The moderators of the sessions were Ainur Sospanova, Chairperson of the Board of Qazaq Green RES Association, Giulia Manconi, Project Manager and Energy Security Officer, OSCE and Silvia Sartori, Gender and Energy Consultant, OSCE.

Women representing state energy industries and companies, NGOs, women's committees, and scientists from Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and the Kyrgyz Republic discussed the status of gender-related policies in Central Asia.

The participants noted the importance of supporting energy companies to understand the benefits of a gender-diverse workforce and to provide guidance on how to integrate gender equality objectives into recruitment policies and to attract and retain more women.

All participants expressed the view that government decision-makers should be supported in their efforts to integrate women's needs and gender equality objectives into energy security and sustainable development policies.