In June 2022, the World Bank launched the Regional Network in Energy for Women in the Middle East and North Africa (RENEW-MENA) as a regional platform with the aim to i) boost women’s economic participation across the energy sector value chain, specifically in jobs related to the clean energy transition; ii) encourage better workplace conditions for women in both the private and public sectors, and iii) combat widespread gender stereotypes about women’s role in STEM fields and increase their visibility in the energy sector. To date, RENEW-MENA has institutional and strategic partnerships with national utilities, private sector, and academia in Morocco, Egypt, Iraq, Lebanon, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, and West Bank and Gaza, and currently counts over 150 members.
The objective of the panel discussion is to shine a spotlight on MENA’s regional effort via RENEW to boost women in future of work areas, learning from the WePower initiative in South Asia with the aim to discuss RENEW MENA plans going forward.