Advancing inclusion in the energy sector in Vanuatu is critical because access to energy is not experienced equally by everyone. Women, youth, persons with disabilities, and marginalized communities often face greater barriers to accessing reliable, affordable, and safe energy services, while also remaining underrepresented in decision-making and technical roles across the sector.
Recognizing this, the Government of Vanuatu, through the Department of Energy (DoE) under the Ministry of Climate Change Adaptation, Meteorology & Geo-Hazards, Energy, Environment and Disaster Management (MoCC), in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), has convened a series of consultations under the Gender-Responsive Capacity Needs Assessment being undertaken through the Vanuatu Energy Sector Resilience Project (VERP), supported by the Infrastructure Resilience Accelerator Fund (IRAF) of the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI). The VERP project aims to strengthen the resilience of Vanuatu’s energy infrastructure against climate-induced disasters while promoting inclusive and equitable development.
The consultations formed part of the gender and social inclusion assessment process led by Michela Lugiai, Gender Analyst under VERP. The Gender-Responsive Capacity Needs Assessment combined an online questionnaire, phone interviews and focus group discussions. The methodology consisted of participatory institutional self-assessment processes designed to identify knowledge, attitudes, skills, policy gaps, and institutional barriers related to gender-responsive energy resilience planning.
The online survey collected feedback on capacity needs and gaps from around 30 stakeholders, covering a broad range of organizations and sectors working on gender equality, social inclusion, disaster risk reduction, and green energy. The institutional workshop brought together in Port Vila around 15 representatives from government institutions, utilities, civil society organizations, development partners, and private sector stakeholders. Opening the institutional consultation, Matthew Tasale, Director of Energy at the Ministry of Climate Change, emphasized that resilience must go beyond infrastructure alone. “Women, children, older persons, youth, and persons with disabilities are often disproportionately affected when electricity and essential services are disrupted. This is why resilience is not only about infrastructure. Resilience is also about inclusion,” said Mr. Tasale.
The workshop explored existing institutional and sectoral gaps related to gender mainstreaming, leadership representation, accessibility, safeguarding, data collection and participation in the energy sector. Discussions also focused on ways to strengthen policies, training systems, coordination mechanisms, and a long-term capacity development framework.
Speaking on behalf of UNDP, Imran Khan, VERP Project Manager, emphasized that sustainable energy transitions must also be inclusive transitions: “Globally and across the Pacific, the energy sector remains heavily male-dominated, particularly in technical and leadership roles. With workshops like this, UNDP is committed to support a deep down reflection on where gaps still exist and what practical actions we can take to ensure women, youth, and persons with disabilities are not only beneficiaries of energy projects, but active participants and leaders within them,” he said.
Following the institutional consultation, two separate focus group discussions with women entrepreneurs and market vendors from different islands around Vanuatu were organized with support from the Markets for Change initiative, co-implemented by UNDP and UN Women, and through engagements with women participating in the Solar Project initiative of VANWODS Microfinance supported by the National Green Energy Fund (NGEF) and UN Women. These sessions created space for women to openly discuss the realities they face regarding energy access, economic participation, resilience, and social inclusion in their daily lives and businesses.
During discussions with women vendors from Efate Island markets, participants shared the impact of climate change on their livelihoods, with heavy rains, cyclones or droughts negatively affecting harvests, and how green energy provided by small solar systems supports them with night lighting to continue with productive activities during dark hours, or refrigerators and small appliances to cook, grind or extract coconut oil. Many women explained how improved, accessible and more reliable energy could also improve food preservation, safety, education of children and economic opportunities for them and their communities. Some of them raised the need to be trained on guidelines and protocols to ensure safety and maintenance of small energy systems during climate hazards, such as cyclones or the most recent earthquake. Selected women participating in the VANWODS Solar Project similarly reflected on the importance of using green energy for economic empowerment, access to sustainable energy solutions, and the need for stronger inclusion of women’s perspectives in energy development planning processes. Some women reported having constraints in accessing maintenance services for solar powered refrigerators, and the lack of technicians on the ground, advocating to engage more women and youth in technical jobs for operations and maintenance in the energy sector as well as strengthened policies for improved quality standards of small energy systems. All women also mentioned the positive impacts of accessing microcredit together with solar-powered freezers, being able to always repay their loans on time and support their businesses and children’s education.
Reflecting on the consultation process, Michela notes that the discussions reveal how closely resilience, inclusion, and energy access are interconnected in Vanuatu. “Energy in Vanuatu is not only about providing electricity. It is about dignity, safety, empowerment, livelihoods, healthcare, education, and resilience. What becomes very clear throughout these consultations is that infrastructure alone is not enough. Sustainable energy systems must also reflect the realities of the people who depend on them every day — these systems are not gender-neutral, but they must respond to the specific needs of women, men, girls, boys, persons with disabilities, and marginalized communities,” affirmed Ms. Lugiai.
Findings from the assessment will support the refinement of VERP’s Gender Action Plan and contribute to strengthening inclusive and climate-resilient energy systems across Vanuatu, while informing the formulation of a Gender-Responsive Capacity Development Framework for a resilient and equitable energy sector.
The VERP Project — technically supported by UNDP and CDRI — aims to strengthen the capacity of the Department of Energy and national partners to integrate resilience into energy planning, design, and operations, while ensuring that gender equality, disability inclusion, and social inclusion are embedded across the sector.
