Gender Audit of the Draft Energy Policy of the Kingdom of Lesotho

The Gender Audit of the Draft Energy Policy of the Kingdom of Lesotho is a pro¬duct of the gender mainstreaming workshop held in 2008. The Audit was reques¬ted by the Ministry of Natural Resources and it is funded by ENERGIA International while GENOL through Khalema Redeby Consultancy Services (KRCS) was commis¬sioned to undertake the Audit. The main objective of the Audit is to strengthen the commitment and capacity of the Department of Energy to mainstream gender in the implementation of the draft energy policy of the Kingdom of Lesotho. The Audit is currently complete and its outputs consist of a Gender Action Plan and an Audit report.

The key recommendations from the report and driving the GAP were:

Key Recommendations

  • Include a policy statement in the National Energy Policy on government responsibilities for gender equality in energy interventions, and a gender analysis
  • of energy demand in both the domestic and productive sectors.
  • Establish a mechanism for inter-ministerial collaboration between the DOE and those ministries and agencies responsible for biomass energy, in order to improve
  • the supply and use of biomass energy.
  • Ensure the implementation of the 2008 Lesotho Household Energy Access Strategy for improving biomass energy supply and use, in close cooperation with other Government departments (such as Department of Energy, Forestry Division and Range Management Division), agencies and partners.
  • Review implementation strategies so as to integrate gender considerations and promote gender equality. Deliberate efforts are needed to facilitate women’s
  • access to improved energy services.
  • Develop and adopt a gender mainstreaming strategy in the DOE and in future projects, including gender-specific targets.
  • Subject all new programmes and schemes to gender appraisal, so as to encourage gender sensitivity and women’s participation from the outset.
  • Develop gender-sensitive indicators that fit the National Monitoring and Evaluation System and use them in all energy projects/programmes.
  • Create a Gender Mainstreaming Committee at DOE management level to direct and coordinate the implementation of gender mainstreaming.
  • Identify a DOE gender focal person to represent the Department on the Government’s Gender Technical Committee.
  • Use gender-sensitive budgeting in energy sector planning and programming, based on regional and international gender protocols and the national Gender Policy.

Lesotho Final Audit Report - Download

Lesotho Final Audit Action Plan - Download