ENERGIA devoted greater attention to national level activities, shifting from showing why gender mainstreaming was crucial to building capacities for mainstreaming gender into energy projects and policies, through gender audits.

ENERGIA’s goal was to document and showcase how gender-specific impacts can be generated through gender mainstreaming approaches in energy policies, energy organisations and rural energy programs. Another goal was to demonstrate how these impacts can be multiplied when gender-specific resources and commitments are in place. Although some recognised the importance of energy in improving women’s and men’s lives, few energy projects or institutions had a gender-oriented strategy.

ENERGIA took this as an opportunity to engage with different actors and professionals in the energy sector, offering tools, training and guidance to integrate gender considerations into energy projects, policies and work environments. This marked a significant shift from the previous phase, because we focused on mainstreaming gender into energy projects and programs implemented by Non-Government Organisations (NGOs) and government-related institutions rather than only advocating for the approach. By mainstreaming gender in large-scale energy projects and enhancing the gender-specific resources, ENERGIA intended to demonstrate how the project’s outcomes could be multiplied.

During Phase 4, ENERGIA grew and continued to support national networks for in-country advocacy efforts. In parallel, we participated in international conferences to influence changes in government energy policies and programs. This strengthened links with government officials and built strong relationships with government delegations.