The Ministry of Mines and Energy has taken a historic and more equitable step for women with the adoption of the first Public Policy on Gender Equity in the Mining and Energy Sector. This initiative establishes a roadmap until 2035 to reduce the gaps they still face in access to employment, leadership, decision-making, and the opportunities generated by the Just Energy Transition. The new policy responds to an assessment that revealed persistent inequalities in the sector. Currently, women represent only 14.5% of employment in mining and quarrying, 24% in hydrocarbons, and between 29% and 33% in the electricity sector. In industrial mining, their participation reaches only 8.8%, while a large proportion of those working in artisanal and small-scale mining do so in informal and vulnerable conditions. “It is a personal and political conviction that women must have a stronger voice, greater participation, more opportunities, and greater access. And that is why I am pleased to be able to sign this here in front of you today, because, moreover, we built it together with you,” emphasized Edwin Palma Egea, Minister of Mines and Energy. The policy is based on the international commitments assumed by Colombia regarding gender equality, human rights, and climate action, as well as the national regulatory framework that promotes the integration of a gender perspective into public policies. Furthermore, it strengthens the progress already achieved by entities such as the National Hydrocarbons Agency, the Mining and Energy Planning Unit (UPME), and the Ministry itself, integrating them into a common strategy with goals and monitoring mechanisms. Among its main objectives are improving working conditions to encourage the hiring, retention, and advancement of women; promoting more effective participation in decision-making spaces; strengthening institutional capacities to incorporate a gender perspective throughout sectoral management; and contributing to transforming the stereotypes and cultural barriers that have historically limited their participation. “The overall objective of the policy is to contribute to gender equality in the mining and energy sector by 2035, promoting greater access for women to formal, quality employment, as well as to the economic and development opportunities derived from the sector's activities and the energy transition,” Palma stated. As a result of this participatory process, the ministry agreed upon an action plan comprised of 86 measures to be implemented over the next decade. These actions include developing strategies to strengthen women's participation in decision-making spaces, mainstreaming a gender perspective across sectoral policies, signing agreements with the Ministry of Labor to verify women's working conditions, and creating mechanisms for monitoring and accountability regarding the policy's progress. Implementation will be led by the gender team of the Office of Environmental and Social Affairs (OAAS), with support from the ministry's Office of Planning and International Management. With this policy, the Ministry of Mines and Energy reaffirms its commitment to a Just Energy Transition that recognizes the leadership of women, promotes equal opportunities and consolidates a more inclusive, competitive and sustainable mining and energy sector for Colombia.
