The ASEAN Plan of Action on Energy Cooperation (APAEC) is set to enter a new chapter in its history, with the next phase for 2026-2035 being launched next year under Malaysia’s ASEAN Chairmanship. This marks a pivotal moment for ASEAN to seize the opportunity to mainstream gender in regional energy policy. Currently, gender issues remain underdeveloped in the region’s energy sector, as evidenced by their absence in the existing APAEC. ASEAN is now initiating the development of the next phase of APAEC 2026-2035, through a specially appointed group known as the “APAEC Drafting Committee.” This new phase is expected to be unveiled in 2025. 

Mainstreaming gender in ASEAN surge in recent years, which can be inferred from the ASEAN Declaration on the Gender-Responsive Implementation of the ASEAN Community Vision 2025 and Sustainable Development Goals and the publication of the ASEAN Gender Outlook, the State of Gender Equality and Climate Change in ASEAN. 

The highest body in the ASEAN energy structure, the ASEAN Ministers of Energy, laid the basis for “Just and Inclusive Energy Transition” at the 39th and 41st Joint Ministerial Statement (JMS). Last September, the 42nd JMS also endorsed the new theme of the upcoming APAEC with ‘Advancing Regional Cooperation in Ensuring Energy Security and Accelerating Decarbonisation for a Just and Inclusive Energy Transition,’ which reaffirmed the needs to consider social impacts of energy transition. Although the region exhibits limited work towards mainstreaming gender in the energy sector and is mostly driven by ASEAN external partners through its requirement of projects, this endorsement provide the leeway needed to prioritise the nexus into activities. 

Despite political good will, oftentimes, there is uncertainty about how to initiate the process of turning the just energy transition into concrete actions for ASEAN member states. Questions such as “What should we do? How do we deal with this information?” are quite common to begin with. There is often limited data, finance, capacity, and knowledge to back women’s empowerment and social inclusion in energy policy. Consequently, brings out frustration so there are tendencies to defer responsibility to more pertinent institutions. 

So, what should ASEAN do to close the gap? 

ASEAN Centre for Energy (ACE) as the regional energy think tank has started working on utilising these pathways to mainstream gender in the region. ACE in partnership with EmPower: Women for Climate-Resilient Societies Phase II (EmPower) – a programme co-led by the UN Environment Programme and UN Women, – developed the ASEAN Renewable Energy and Gender Roadmap; a guide to integrating gender in the renewable energy sector, as well as measuring some untapped potential finance. Both documents were enough to pique the interest of partners to support and at the same time, energy programme development has adopted GEDSI approach and assessment. 

In addition, the ASEAN Energy Statistics Leaflet also featured its first gender data, considering the importance of data in making informed policies. Further attention to robust and consistent energy-gender data in the region shall be pursued to gain the buy-in from member states. 

Compared to other sectors such as agriculture, food, forestry, and climate, the energy sector remains fall behind in putting gender-transformative policies. It is often exacerbated by the thought that gender-responsive budget implications will be imposed to make this change, which is sometimes considered uncertain in return. 

The first step: political will and collective action 

A key lesson learned is that while women’s participation in the energy sector is being explored and pursued, explicitly including just energy transition in the region’s energy blueprint, increases the likelihood that sector players will commit towards women’s leadership in the ASEAN energy sector.  

To avoid gender in energy, keep being side-lined from decision-making processes, potential partners and international or regional institutions whose works focus on gender equality in the energy sector shall be consolidated and streamlined to ensure consistent assistance of just transition in ASEAN. It could be in the form of financial support and/or technical assistance to take the first step toward pursuing this initiative. By this coordinated and endless support given to ASEAN energy, ASEAN will be enlightened and mainstream its policies. 

To leverage the knowledge of more advanced nations, the interested partners must collaborate closely with implementing bodies such as ACE, offering support in tandem with the extensive tasks ahead for ASEAN to execute the Roadmap and beyond effectively. Additionally, ASEAN Member States must demonstrate commitment by incorporating these efforts into the regional energy blueprint, thus facilitating the advancement of energy-gender pathways. 

In a nutshell, the ASEAN energy sector requires sustainable and strong political will to scale up and implement the needed activities and partner’s assistance from experienced countries, regions, or institutions to walk the existing framework, such as the ASEAN RE-Gender Roadmap. The challenging status quo and path await ASEAN, which shall start with acknowledging and incorporating gender in the regional energy ‘bible’− APAEC.