Seoul, Republic of Korea, October 22, 2019  

As GGGI aims to address the significant importance of inclusive employment generation potential of Renewable Energy (RE) and the main role RE plays in developing and implementing the NDCs, the seminar on Inclusive Renewable Energy Transition and Generation of Jobs was held on October 22 during the Global Green Growth Week 2019 (GGGW2019). The event contributes to knowledge around the additional socio-economic benefits of closing the gender gap in the renewable energy sector. 

The first session of the event focused on Ensuring Inclusion in the Renewable Energy Transition, with panelists discussing the barriers to women’s participation in the renewable energy sector. The gender gap in the renewable energy sector is significant. According to IRENA, 32% of employment is held by women, and the gender gap is wider in the sector’s science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) related roles and in leadership. Comparison with the oil and gas industry – where 22% of the workforce are women – indicates that the renewable energy transition can become a vehicle for more inclusive outcomes, including equal access to the estimated 42 million jobs to be created in the industry by 2050.  

We need well-founded roadmaps, deliberate strategy, and experience, which also considers the need to build arguments for transition that has public demand and political support. 

For the following session, participants assessed the co-benefits for the creation of renewable energy jobs in low and middle-income countries.  

“If we want to make the case for Renewable Energy jobs, we need to get a robust research and academic approach” to inform local governments and bridge the gap between policy and research, shares Maryke van Staden, Manager of ICLEI’s Low Carbon City Agenda and Director of the Carbonn Center (Bonn Center for Local Climate Action and Reporting).  

Other key discussion points were the employment effects of the low carbon energy transition and the preliminary findings of GGGI’S NEAR-NDC research project on the creation of green jobs in Mexico, Indonesia and Rwanda by 2030. 

To learn more about the events of GGGW2019, please visit: https://media.gggi.org