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Dear Partners, Stakeholders, and Present and Future Collaborators:
Since our last bulletin From the Chief of Party’s Desk, USAID’s Enhancing Equality in Energy for Southeast Asia (USAID E4SEA) Activity has steadily progressed, receiving much support and engagement in promoting the potential of girls and women in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) in the energy sector. In this quarter, our body of work highlights include:
- Advancing partnerships with energy companies and tertiary educational institutions
- Celebrating the Women’s Month of March (2022) with four successful webinars
- Launching the “Workforce Gender Equality Accelerated Course” for partner energy companies
ADVANCING PARTNERSHIPS WITH ENERGY COMPANIES AND TERTIARY EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS
As of April 2022, E4SEA has a total of 16 partnerships with both energy companies and tertiary educational institutions in three Southeast Asian countries – Indonesia, the Philippines, and Thailand. The partnerships consist of seven partner energy companies and nine tertiary educational institutions. E4SEA and partner organizations are developing plans of collaboration and data collection for co-designing evidence-based interventions to reduce gender biases and promote STEM and energy career prospects to girls and women in Southeast Asia. Also, E4SEA is in the process of finalizing a partnership with a leading university in Laos, as well as starting stakeholder mapping activities in Vietnam.
CELEBRATING THE WOMEN’S MONTH OF MARCH WITH FOUR SUCCESSFUL WEBINARS
With March 8, 2022 as the International Women’s Day, E4SEA set out to celebrate the whole month with four webinars, consisting of one with a tertiary educational institution partner, one internal with USAID programs, and two public outreach information exchanges. The following summarizes these webinars all focused on gender equality in the energy sector.
#BREAKTHEBIAS IWD 2022 WITH SIAMTECH
 E4SEA celebrated International Women’s Day (IWD) on March 8th with a new partner, Siam Technology College (SIAMTECH), a leading vocational college in Thailand that focuses on building engineering, IT, automotive, and mechatronics competencies. An introductory learning session on the importance of gender and energy took place with specialists from USAID and E4SEA, presenting to the broader SIAMTECH community, followed by an enthusiastic Q&A session. As the photo shows, the learning session ended with everyone posed with crossed arms – depicting the #BreakTheBias theme of 2022. This was SIAMTECH’s first-ever event to highlight the importance of women in vocational education, STEM, and the new clean energy future. The recorded event can be viewed here.
ANNUAL KNOWLEDGE EXCHANGE WORKSHOP FOR USAID PROGRAMS
 E4SEA held the annual knowledge exchange workshop on March 10th, 2022 to provide a platform for USAID program officials and implementing partners to exchange knowledge, discuss strategies, and build on lessons learned in our effort to promote gender equality in Southeast Asia’s energy sector. The workshop also aimed to enhance the capacity of USAID and its implementing partners working on energy programs to integrate gender equality and support inclusive participation in the energy sector through the sharing and exchange of relevant findings, insights, and approaches. The recorded event can be accessed here.
SEMI-ANNUAL VIRTUAL MEETING WITH DEVELOPMENT PARTNERS
 Findings from the research on challenges to gender equality in Southeast Asia’s energy sector reveal that social norms and gender biases significantly hinder women and girls from pursuing STEM education and careers, causing women to make up only 25% of the energy sector globally. In the era of Southeast Asia’s transition to clean energy, it is imperative to ensure the inclusive participation of women in climate action and sustainable development. On March 25, 2022, E4SEA held a meeting with two development partners — New Energy Nexus and Friedrich Ebert Stiftung (FES), titled “Women at the Forefront of SE Asia’s Energy Transition”. Covering three key  topics; “Key Findings from Assessment of Gender Equality in Energy in SE Asia,” “Just Transition: Why a Just Transition Needs to be Gender-just,” and “Experiences from Building Gender-Inclusive Energy Ecosystems in Southeast Asia”, the meeting provided a platform for development partners to exchange findings and insights, discuss strategies, and build on lessons learned to promote women’s participation and leadership in Southeast Asia’s rapidly growing and transforming energy sector. With 59 participants and four highly engaged breakout sessions, the meeting featured leading women in the Southeast Asia’s energy transition scene to inspire the next generation of energy leaders. The recorded event can be accessed here.
QUARTERLY MEETING FOR THE SOUTH-SOUTH KNOWLEDGE EXCHANGE
 One of the critical factors for the low representation of women in the energy sector in SE Asia and globally is the low number of women in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education. To find opportunities for cooperation in increasing opportunities for girls and women in STEM and energy, E4SEA has been conducting outreach to key regional institutions and inter-government organizations that work on gender, energy, climate change, and STEM. A leading regional institution is the Southeast Asia Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO), an  intergovernmental organization of eleven Southeast Asian countries. One of SEAMEO’s centers working on STEM is SEAMEO Regional Centre for Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics Education, (SEAMEO STEM-ED). Together with SEAMEO STEM-ED and Chevron Enjoy Science, E4SEA held a Quarterly Meeting for the South-South Knowledge Exchange, “Girls & STEM for a Sustainable Energy Sector in SE Asia”. With 60 participants, the exchange provided a dialogue on how girls and young women can have greater access and prospects in STEM and energy careers. The recorded event can be accessed here.
LAUNCHING THE “WORKFORCE GENDER EQUALITY ACCELERATED COURSE” FOR PARTNER ENERGY COMPANIES
 Increasing gender equality in the workplace has become a priority for organizations worldwide, and research shows that gender diversity is correlated with improved company performance. E4SEA aims to strengthen our partners by providing the “Workforce Gender Equality Accelerated Program”. This 11-day course, developed by USAID’s Engendering Industries (EI) program, is being conducted in April by Fulbright University Vietnam for selected change agents from E4SEA partner companies. Through a partnership with USAID’s Sustainable Energy for Indonesia’s Advancing Resilience (SINAR) program, attendees nominated by SINAR are also attending. The course serves as a hands-on, productivity-based catalyst for change and provides a holistic, practical learning environment that ensures success for participating employees and their organizations. Following the program, participants will receive virtual coaching to help them successfully drive change, improve gender equality, and build resilience in their organization. The course provides a foundation for the change agents to define the critical gaps, strategic actions, and organizational benefits of gender equality, including improved business performance, resilience, employee satisfaction and well-being, all of which contribute to a positive workplace environment and enhanced brand value. Each participating entity develops an Action Plan for Gender Equality in the Workforce which demonstrates their commitment to gender equality, as well as develops a pathway for reaching their goals. E4SEA supports the implementation of the Action Plans through technical assistance and coaching.
We highly appreciate your review of our quarterly update and welcome any questions or comments. Thank you for your continued engagement and support for our USAID-funded E4SEA Activity, and we look forward to future engagement with you to enhance equality in energy throughout Southeast Asia.
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