Gender & Energy Compact Dialogue

Event Host: Gender & Energy Compact (co-convened by ENERGIA, GWNET, SEforALL & UNIDO)
Format: Hybrid event with in-person and virtual participation
Location: Room CR2, Vienna International Centre (VIC)
Participants: appr. 70 participants in-person (upon invitation only) plus virtual participation
Date: Wednesday 8th April 2026, 12.00 – 16.00 CET
The dialogue is followed by a Roundtable and Networking Session Innovation Salon on From Barriers to Breakthroughs: Gender-Inclusive Entrepreneurship Ecosystems that foster Cleantech Innovation from 17.00 – 20:00 CET (TBC)

Event Description:
Ahead of the International Vienna Energy and Climate Forum (IVECF) 2026, taking place from 9–10 April, this pre‑forum meeting on 8 April 2026 marks the 5‑year anniversary of the Gender & Energy Compact. This dialogue will convene governments, development partners, private sector actors, financial institutions, youth, and civil society. With only four years remaining to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, accelerated and coordinated action is essential. This dialogue marks a pivotal moment to consolidate collective insights into a renewed Call to Action that strengthens women’s leadership, fosters equitable energy systems, and anchors gender equality at the heart of the post‑2030 energy framework.

Key Objectives:
• Consolidate collective insights from five years of the Gender & Energy Compact into a unified and actionable Call to Action to accelerate women’s leadership in a just energy transition.
• Showcase initiatives that demonstrate how women’s leadership strengthens resilience, stability, and shared prosperity within the energy transition.
• Examine evidence-based strategies to advance women’s leadership across policy, finance, technology, workforce development, entrepreneurship, and intergovernmental processes, including SDG7 dialogues and climate negotiations.
• Position this dialogue as a pivotal moment to consolidate collective insights and shape a unified Call to Action that strengthens women’s leadership, fosters equitable energy systems, and places gender equality at the center of the post‑2030 energy framework.
• Identify opportunities to mobilise resources, strengthen partnerships, and build political will to implement the next phase of the Gender & Energy Compact.
• Discuss practical measures to embed gender equality and youth inclusion into the emerging post-2030 global energy architecture.

This dialogue will serve as a catalyst for collaboration, connecting discussions on gender equality with innovation, technology, policy and finance dialogues taking place in parallel forums, ensuring that gender and youth perspectives are embedded in the broader energy transition agenda.

Sign up to attend the event virtually here. There are limited spots available to join the event in-person. Those interested in attending the event in person on April 8 can send an email to eva.hauser@globalwomennet.org with the subject line “Gender & Energy Compact Dialogue”.

Registration for the wider IVECF event on April 9-10 is also now open. See here to sign up.