Project profile — Gender Equality in the Renewable Energy Sector in Small Island Developing States Program

• Cabo Verde (7.00%)
• Dominica (3.50%)
• Saint Lucia (8.00%)
• Maldives (3.50%)

• Africa, regional (12.00%)
• Asia, regional (20.00%)
• America, regional (46.00%)

• Government And Civil Society, General: Women's rights organisations and movements, and government institutions (15170) (20.00%)
• Energy sector policy, planning and administration:
Energy sector policy, planning and administration (23111) (40.00%)
Energy education/training (23181) (40.00%)

• Environmental sustainability (cross-cutting) (principal objective)
• Gender equality (significant objective)
• Climate change mitigation (principal objective)

This project aims to improve gender equality in the renewable energy sector in Small Island Developing States (SIDS). The project supports activities that increase employment opportunities for women, and the productive use of energy for women’s enterprises and livelihoods. The project also focuses on generating evidence on gender disparities in employment, productivity and related aspects. This is one of four programs under the Canada-World Bank Clean Energy and Forests Climate Facility. A portion of the project’s activities directly supports gender equality for projects under the Renewable Energy in SIDS program.

The expected outcome for this project is improved gender equality in the renewable energy sector in small island developing states.

Results to date include: (1) fully committed the window's US$6.82 million grant envelope across country-linked and stand-alone grants spanning more than 30 small island states (ahead of the January 2026 commitment deadline); (2) in the Pacific, through the Pacific Women in Power program, engaged 14 energy utilities and trained over 640 utility staff, helped introduce or revise 18 gender-responsive policies and workplace frameworks, and secured the renewed commitment of 19 Pacific energy ministers to advancing women's employment in the sector; (3) developed and published an open-source geospatial tool and gender data covering 31 small island states, alongside an online training course reaching more than 1,700 participants worldwide; and (4) across the Caribbean and Cape Verde, funded scholarships, apprenticeships, and technical training for women in engineering and solar trades (including 39 scholarships for women in Saint Lucia) with early graduates beginning to move into energy-sector employment. Over its lifetime, the GE-SIDS window is expected to bring thousands of women and young people into STEM education, renewable-energy training, and business development across the small island states it serves.

• Proactive disclosure
• Related activities:
• Energy Transition Program
• Forests and Landscapes Program
• Renewable Energy in Small Island Developing States Program