Recommendation 7

HM Government Accepted

Partially agree 3 https://tea.carbontrust.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Ayrton-Fund-Locally-led- action-and-equitable-partnerships.pdf 4 https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-international-climate-finance-icf- gender-equality-disability-and-social-inclusion-guidance 29. The FCDO recognises that women’s participation and leadership is crucial to the success of community energy projects and achieving SDG7. In line with the International Development Act (Gender Equality Act) 2014, we promote gender equality in all our ODA interventions. 30. The FCDO’s policies on GEDSI apply to all programming and are included in programme guidelines to ensure compatibility with the International Development Act 2014 Gender Amendment. These principles are integrated into programme design and monitored through the Annual Review process, which evaluates programmes on their ability to incorporate GEDSI considerations. This ensures that gender equality and inclusion are not treated as standalone objectives but as core components of FCDO’s energy interventions. 31. Specifically for Energy Access programmes, flagship initiatives such as TEA and MECS already incorporate gender-focused approaches to promote women’s leadership and participation. This is appropriate given the very strong connection between the impacts of dirty cooking and the lives of women struggling with the burden of firewood and charcoal cooking. TEA was highlighted as a case study in the GEDSI Guidance Note for effectively integrating GEDSI strategies to empower women in the clean energy sector through training, master’s programmes and work placements. MECS is classified as a principal Gender programme under the OECD DAC Gender Equality Policy Marker, reflecting its strong focus on advancing gender equality and women’s empowerment in the energy access sector. The Climate Compatible Growth (CCG) programme also works to ensure the inclusion of the specific needs of women and vulnerable groups in energy planning, at both national and community scales, engaging with planning authorities in support of inclusive policy and process. 32. As a result of the ICF GEDSI guidance note, all new UK climate programmes are required to be empowering for women and girls, and the ambition is for more programmes to be transformative. This means they actively address the unequal power relations that hold women back as agents of change, seeking institutional and societal change to enable their agency. 33. At this stage, we are unable to commit to reporting on the extent to which the recommendations of the GEDSI guidance note are implemented by June 2026. There is currently no established reporting mechanism; we will consider future reporting depending on future resourcing beyond FY25/26 commitments. (Recommendation 8, paragraph 54) The FCDO should require community energy projects to actively involve people with disabilities in project design and governance, provide accessible technical and capacity- building support, and report on disability-disaggregated outcomes. Government Response: Agree 34. The FCDO recognises the importance of actively involving people with disabilities in project design and implementation. In 2023, the FCDO TEA platform commissioned a landmark study through 60 Decibels (Disability Insights Report)5 to better understand the experiences of people with disabilities in accessing clean energy. 35. Building on this evidence, last year the TEA platform launched a new Disability Inclusion Support Service managed by the Global Disability Innovation Hub, aimed at mainstreaming inclusive practices within the TEA platform and the clean energy sector more broadly. It supports local and international delivery partners to do this through research, technical assistance, training, and capacity building. This Support Service is also building a disability-focused talent pool for the clean energy sector and working with clean energy employers to promote inclusive hiring practices. These findings are now informing FCDO’s approach to inclusive energy programming helping to identify where additional support, innovation, or adaptation is needed to ensure that no one is left behind in the energy transition–and we will look to enhance communications around these tools and resources beyond FY25/26 to other FCDO energy access programming and more broadly. 36. As a result of the ICF GEDSI guidance note, all new UK climate programmes are required to be GEDSI ‘empowering’, including ensuring the meaningful participation of persons with disabilities in all their diversity, and ensuring the promotion and mainstreaming of their rights. All new ICF programmes should consider the inclusion and empowerment of people with disabilities in their design, delivery and evaluation to ensure a more transformative approach. Inclusivity and value for money Conclusion and Recommendation 9 (Conclusion 8, paragraph 57) Conventional value-for-money frameworks overlook long-term social benefits, which und