Energy transitions are often described through numbers: renewable energy targets, investment needs, emissions pathways, installed capacity, grid expansion, and energy intensity. These numbers matter. They help governments plan, investors decide, and institutions measure progress. However, numbers alone cannot explain whether the transition is fair, whether its benefits are shared, or whether the people most affected by energy decisions have a voice in shaping them.
Across ASEAN, the shift towards cleaner energy systems is taking place in a region of rapid economic growth, rising energy demand, diverse development pathways, and uneven access to opportunities. Behind every regional target are people whose lives are shaped by the way energy systems are planned and delivered: a rural household waiting for reliable electricity, a woman seeking to enter a technical field where few role models exist, an Indigenous community working to protect its land while accessing clean energy, a person with disability asking for meaningful participation in decision-making, and a policymaker trying to translate regional commitments into national systems.
For ACE, these realities are not separate from the regional energy agenda. As an ASEAN body, the Centre drives regional energy cooperation among AMS, while serving as a catalyst, knowledge hub and think tank for the region. Over the past few years, ACE has worked to strengthen the links between energy security, decarbonisation, climate action, and inclusion. Through the ASEAN Climate Change and Energy Project (ACCEPT), ACE has advanced the energy-climate nexus with a growing focus on gender equality, disability, and social inclusion (GEDSI). Collaborative work with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) under the EmPower programme also produced the ASEAN Renewable Energy-Gender Roadmap in 2022, providing strategic direction for mainstreaming gender within renewable energy development.
Building on this foundation, ACE partnered with Oxfam through the I-JET Project to advance a more gender-equitable, people-centred, and rights-based energy transition narrative. The collaboration was grounded in a shared understanding: ASEAN’s transition to cleaner energy systems must be fast enough to respond to climate and development needs, but also fair enough to protect rights, expand opportunities, and ensure that communities are not left behind.