Gender Inclusion and Energy Transition for the Reactivation of the Railway Sector in Colombia

Steer, through Skill Share COL-006a-R  provided support and knowledge transfer to the National Planning Department of Colombia (DNP) professionals to strengthen their technical capacity to advance in a railway framework that considers gender equity and inclusion and encourages the energy transition to low-emission technologies.

The work was initially developed with the review and analysis of local plans and policies (processes and institutions) that are guiding the development of the two study topics worked on: gender and inclusion and energy transition in the railway sector. As a result, the limitations, and advances of these topics within the Colombian context were recognized, thus providing a basis to identify the relevant experiences and knowledge that can be shared from the UK.

Subsequently, six working sessions were held with the DNP's Infrastructure and Sustainable Energy management team, which focused on the transfer of knowledge through frameworks and international experiences and examples, addressing the following topics:

Gender and Inclusion

• Session 1: Mainstreaming for gender equity and inclusion in the railway sector
• Session 2: Labour inclusion with a gender perspective in the railway sector
• Session 3: Gender perspective in the use of public rail transport systems

 Energy transition

• Session 4: Emissions in the rail sector and requirements for building a baseline
• Session 5: Energy options and technology transition in the rail sector
• Session 6: Financing, public policies, and projects for the energy transition in the rail sector

As a result of the working sessions, an executive document was developed that consolidates the frameworks, recommendations, and best references of international experiences, to include gender mainstreaming and inclusion in the planning and implementation of the railway sector, and the path to an efficient energy transition in the railway sector.

From the Gender and Inclusion theme, tools were made available as a starting point for action in public policy or in specific projects. Therefore, we proposed:

• 10 recommendations for gender mainstreaming in the railway sector.
• 15 recommendations to increase the participation of women in the value chain of the railway sector.
• 30 recommendations to incorporate women's mobility patterns in the different stages of the projects.
• 4 analytical frameworks designed with numerous tools available from academia and national and international case studies.

From the energy transition in the railway sector, we proposed:

• Methodologies for calculating the carbon footprint, to subsequently develop the construction of the baseline for the railway sector following the recommendation made.
• Identification of technological and energy alternatives for rail transport activities in Colombia and the variables that need to be considered in those analysis.
• Financing alternatives for the technological advancement of the railway sector.

Finally, the development of the work carried out was socialized through a session and 1:1 meeting at the XIX National Infrastructure Congress of Colombia. The event was attended by representatives of different government entities and other relevant actors.