STAFF CORRESPONDENT

A coalition of 33 organisations under the Manusher Jonno Foundation (MJF) yesterday launched the Women’s Energy and Empowerment Network (WEE-NET), calling for women and marginalised communities to be placed at the centre of the country’s energy policies and just transition plans.

The platform was unveiled at a press conference at the Dhaka Reporters Unity, where speakers said women continue to face structural exclusion from employment, decision-making and economic opportunities, an inequality they argued is being replicated in the energy sector.

On behalf of the platform, Wasiur Rahman Tanmoy of MJF said women’s labour force participation in Bangladesh stands at 19 percent, while their representation in leadership and technical roles in the energy sector remains below 10 percent.

He added that this compares with a global average of 32 percent female participation in the renewable energy sector.

Speakers said current energy policies largely treat women as consumers rather than entrepreneurs, technicians, innovators or decision-makers, warning that limited access to technical education could further widen the gap as the sector evolves.

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