Accelerating inclusive renewable energy transitions in mountain regions

Organisers: Department of Energy, Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources, Royal Government of Bhutan, ICIMOD and IDRC

About the event

The Department of Energy, Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources, Royal Government of Bhutan in collaboration with ICIMOD is organising a results dissemination and regional learning forum as part of the Women’s Empowerment through the Renewable Energy-Powered Lift Irrigation Systems in Bhutan (WERELIS) project funded by International Development Research Centre (IDRC), Canada.

The WERELIS results dissemination and regional leaning forum provides an opportunity to reflect on lessons learned, hear directly from communities and women changemakers, and explore pathways for scaling inclusive renewable energy solutions across Bhutan and the wider Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) region. The forum will bring together policymakers, practitioners, researchers, development partners, financial institutions, and community representatives to discuss how proven approaches, tools, and partnerships can accelerate gender-responsive renewable energy transitions and unlock future market, policy, and investment opportunities.

Background

The transition toward renewable energy systems presents a transformative opportunity to simultaneously address issues of economic resilience, energy security, decarbonisation, sustainable livelihoods, and social inclusion. However, the benefits of renewable energy transitions are not always experienced equally. Women continue to face barriers in accessing resources, participating in decision-making processes, developing technical capacities, and benefiting from economic opportunities associated with renewable energy systems. Addressing these gaps is essential to ensuring that renewable energy transitions are not only technically and economically viable but also inclusive, equitable, and capable of delivering lasting development impacts for communities in mountain regions.

To address these challenges, the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), with support from the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), Canada, and in partnership with the Department of Energy (DoE), Royal Government of Bhutan, has implemented the WERELIS project. The project demonstrates how women can go from being passive recipients of renewable energy programmes to being active decision-makers, technical leaders, entrepreneurs, and agents of change in energy systems.

During its implementation, WERELIS has built a strong base for gender-responsive renewable energy planning and implementation. This includes the development of a data-driven digital decision-support tool (called PURE ), and Multi-Criteria Assessment (MCA) and Detailed Feasibility Study (DFS) frameworks that integrate technical, social, economic, and gender considerations for planning and implementation. The project has also demonstrated proof-of-concept renewable energy-powered irrigation systems at individual and community levels, generating valuable evidence on inclusive approaches for enhancing agricultural productivity, livelihoods, and resilience in mountain areas.

Objectives

The high-level dialogue aims to foster collaboration among stakeholders from government, development agencies, civil society, academia, and the private sector to identify actionable strategies for scaling renewable energy solutions in irrigation.

More specifically, the event aims to:

• Showcase the evidence, tools, frameworks, and implementation models developed through WERELIS that provided a foundation for scaling gender-responsive renewable energy systems in mountain regions.
• Highlight experiences and testimonies from women, communities, and practitioners to demonstrate how renewable energy-powered solutions can strengthen livelihoods, resilience, leadership, and social inclusion.
• Explore future pathways for scaling inclusive renewable energy transitions through regional cooperation, enabling policies, innovative financing, market development, and investment partnerships.

The event is expected to generate collective insights that help overcome existing challenges and chart a clear path to accelerate inclusive renewable energy transitions in mountain regions.