Empowering People Initiative
GOAL
This initiative seeks to:
- Share lessons on needed and successful policies that support just clean energy transitions;
- Highlight different policy mixes to support workers and communities with models that meet the unique needs and circumstances of different member countries, industrial sectors and stakeholder communities;
- Advocate for diversity and inclusiveness in HR policies, working conditions and corporate governance; address the needs of youth, gender equality, including pay equity, retention of diverse staff, the promotion of inclusive culture, among other measures that would serve to marshal and develop all available talent to strengthen the global energy sector.
OVERVIEW
This Initiative seeks to convene a dialogue that expands the conversation taking place within existing CEM initiatives and to develop solutions relevant to those initiatives’ goals. It will do so by bringing together the right people and partners to share best practices between CEM members, companies and partner organizations. This includes providing a platform for underrepresented and marginalized voices – to bring forward novel approaches and diverse perspectives needed to move the needle on achieving a just and equitable transition for a clean energy future. This year, the Empowering People Initiative is hosting a series of Solutions Summits to create collaborations related to clean energy
workforce preparation via its Integrated Policymaking and Empowering Communications for the Clean Energy Economy and Workforce (IPEC) Project. The Empowering People Initiative works with existing CEM initiatives in a collaborative spirit – acting as a horizontal initiative. It builds on and complements existing CEM work streams that already promote equity and inclusivity, such as the Equality in Energy Transitions Initiative and the Equal by 30 Campaign, while leveraging other technology-oriented CEM initiatives that could benefit from exploring skills, workforce, and inclusivity issues.
ACTIVITIES & EVENTS
▪️ CEM14 SIDE EVENT (July 2023)
Empowering People Initiative focuses on the critical socio-economic elements that are needed to drive a just and equitable energy transition. Our CEM14 side event titled EPI: Collaborative Strategies for Jobs and Skills for Just Clean Energy Transitions, co-hosted by the Skill Council for Green Jobs, explored strategies for empowering workers, businesses, and consumers to transition to a carbon-neutral, circular and sustainable economy. In this session we discussed what is needed for effective collaboration in the development of policies and programmes that can be leveraged by governments and other stakeholders for the scale-up of equitable solutions.
▪️ COLLABORATION WITH CLIMATEWORKS (July 2023)
EPI sat down with ClimateWorks Foundation to talk about our work advancing clean energy transitions to support the current and future workforce. We highlighted that effective coordination by groups like CEM is a critical lever point to ensure governments and other enablers are not operating in silos and can share best practices and scale solutions. EPI provides a unique forum for diverse voices and the development, implementation, and scaling of policies and practices for skills advancement, inclusion, and workforce development for the energy transition.
▪️ IPEC CONVENINGS (March – July 2023)
Empowering People Initiative hosted a series of four virtual convenings under the newly launched project entitled Integrated Policymaking and Empowering Communications for the Clean Energy Economy and Workforce (IPEC). The effort will make it easier for governments to develop more holistic and integrated workforce and green economy policies and programs, and overcome fragmented approaches to workforce formation between the relevant ministries. Participants from national governmental offices for energy, education, employment and labor, industry, economic development, and social affairs and well-being are invited. The project is open to all countries.
▪️ EUROPEAN SUSTAINABLE ENERGY WEEK POLICY SESSION (June 2023)
EPI’s EUSEW Policy Session, A Fair Energy Transition with the Right Skills: Experience from the Clean Energy Ministerial Empowering People Initiative, explored fairness aspects of the clean energy transition, focusing on the skills dimension as an enabling condition for net quality job creation, while addressing employment, economic and social implications, as well as international cooperation.
▪️ CEM PREPATORY MEETING IN RIO DE JANEIRO – SIDE EVENTS (March 2023)
EPI hosted two incredibly successful side events during the 2023 CEM Senior Officials’ Meeting & MI Annual Gathering from 20-23 March 2023.
- EPI: Policy Experiences on Sustainable Lifestyles for a Just Transition
- EPI: Jobs and Skills for an Inclusive Clean Energy Transition
▪️ EPI/CESC WEBINAR (December 2022)
EPI collaborated with the Clean Energy Solutions Center (CESC) on a webinar titled Workforce, Policies & Implementation Strategies to Ensure Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, that brought together industry and workforce stakeholders, clean energy ministries, youth, and communities to discuss opportunities, challenges, and key solutions and resources to prepare a workforce for clean energy transitions.
▪️ REPORT ON SKILLS IN CLEAN ENERGY TRANSITIONS (September 2022)
EPI and IEA launched a groundbreaking report featuring a series of international case studies that showcase the critical role of skill development for successful clean energy transition. A cross-section of prominent partners – including the governments of the United States, the European Commission, Canada, Spain, Chile, the International Labor Organization, World Bank and IRENA – contributed to this global effort.
▪️ EPI LAUNCH (June 2021)
COMMUNITY
Co-leads
Coordinator
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
SOCIAL MEDIA
JOIN US
All active CEM members are invited to contribute to the Empowering People Initiative. Please email secretariat@cemsecretariat.org with your interest and an EPI representative will contact you with information on getting involved.