Women Energize Women Conference

The ‘Women Energize Women’ conference held under the umbrella event: The smarter E 2022, successfully concluded its very first run, on May 12 in Munich. The event was organised by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs & Climate Action (BMWK), Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, and the German Renewable Energy Federation (BEE), with the aim to inform, mobilise, inspire and connect women around the world to be a progressive part of the energy transition.

The launch event saw participation from women from all over the world, with a particular focus on developing and emerging economies like India that Germany has concluded energy partnerships with. Participants from India, supported by the Indo-German Energy Forum (IGEF), included Dr. Rashi Gupta - MD, Vision Mechatronics Pvt Ltd; Disha Agarwal – Programme Lead, Council on Energy, Environment and Water; and Nishtha Gupta-Vaghela – Consulting Editor of Emerging Technology News (ETN)

The theme of the whole-day event centered on gender inclusive opportunities in the energy sector, and deliberation on the importance of women participation in the energy transition. The programme began with a press conference organised for the media fellows invited from energy partnership countries around the world, followed by engaging panel discussions, keynote speakers, workshops and networking sessions.

Presenting the initiatives by her organisation, during the ‘Marketplace of Ideas’ session, Disha Agarwal said: “WIS (Women in Sustainability) leans in for women who lean in for the planet.” She also expressed that participation from men and women is equally important to mainstream gender inclusiveness and diversity.

Dr Rashi Gupta, in her inspiring talk in the ‘Investing in Women’ panel discussion, questioned gender discrimination in the work place, stating that when both men and women are imparted with same education, why should there be a difference in profession. Encouraging the women aspirants, she said that overcoming small barriers of the mind prepares you to overcome bigger challenges – “It is our responsibility to take up the energies, absorb them, adapt to them and then use it to grow.

For Nishtha it was an exciting experience, meeting up with inspiring women from different parts of the world. She hopes to share the experience of women energising the renewables scenario through her writing. “It was a fabulous week of sharing, learning and energizing. Kudos to the organisers for creating a unique platform to further the cause of opportunities for women in the field of new energies.”

The ‘Women Energize Women’ conference aims to address energy transition issues by looking at them from a female perspective. It facilitates discussions with female speakers from all across the globe, professional networks and mentoring opportunities for women in the energy transition.