Clean Energy Brief: Global Clean Energy Policy and the Inclusion of Women and Youth

The Summary

This Clean Energy Brief assesses the available evidence, opportunities, and challenges for the inclusion of women and youth, through micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs), for global clean energy policy innovations. In this context, policy innovations are understood to be the actions and instruments which both support low-carbon energy (renewable and non-renewable) transitions, and disincentivise the use of fossil fuels. This is particularly significant where, to date, low-carbon energies have been additions to the global energy mix, rather than replacements for fossil fuels (Bell et al. 2020).

The brief was prepared for the Clean Energy for Development: A Call to Action (CEDCA) initiative’s February 2024 learning workshop in Nairobi, funded by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) and hosted by the Institute of Development Studies (IDS) in their knowledge translation role. The initiative generates evidence to inform public policy reform and innovation to support clean energy transitions where women and youth play a key role. This brief is not a systematic review of the available literature; it is instead intended to serve as a discussion point for the researchers working on clean energy for development projects.

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