Conference participants Serbian women in sustainable energy – Leadership for the energy transition agreed that women leaders in the energy transition are a reality and not a myth. During the conference organized by the Women’s Network WISE Serbia, THE Female leader in sustainable energy prizes were awarded for the first time.
After Maja Turković, Executive Vice President of CWP Europe and Ana Džokić, co-founder of the energy cooperative Elektropionir, received the Female leader in sustainable energy Price, two round tables were held on women as drivers of change in the energy transition and on the example of such leadership.
In addition, the results of a survey on the Role of housewives and businesswomen in the energy transition – initiatives to support. It was carried out by the Center for the Promotion of Sustainable Development in partnership with the German international cooperation agency GIZ. The women who participated in the survey consider themselves active participants in the energy transition, but they also stated that financial and institutional support is necessary and expected for their greater, more concrete and more meaningful participation in the process.
Višnja Baćanović, gender equality consultant and member of WISE Serbia, moderated both panels.
The Sustainable Development Goals will not be achieved without women
Gender equality is in fact one of the key values of German development cooperation, said Jelena Ivančević, Advisor to the project Promotion of renewable energies and energy efficiency in Serbia, led by GIZ.
According to her, it will be impossible to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals without the participation of women, that is to say if the conditions are not put in place so that they can get involved in the process and achieve their goals. full potential.
Everyone is equally exposed to the impacts of climate change, but not equally vulnerable.
Sandra Lazić, who heads the climate change department at the Ministry of Environmental Protection, highlighted the current public debate on Climate change adaptation program with action plan, the first national strategic document of its type.
In the process of assessing the impact of climate change on the entire population and planning adaptation measures, separate calculations for men, women and children are also included, she said. added.
“This is the first document in which the effect of the planned measures on different population groups is taken into account. Because even if everyone is equally exposed to the consequences, not everyone is equally vulnerable,” she stressed.
Lukić: Our waste is not waste intended for landfill
The ministry is also working to put in place the conditions for decarbonization and transition, which is why a series of strategic and legislative measures have been taken. They included the adoption of Low Carbon Development Strategy of the Republic of Serbia for the period 2023 to 2030 and the Climate Change Law.
Dedicated environmental activist, researcher
Research assistant Milica Lukić from the Faculty of Geography at the University of Belgrade is proof that women are indeed leaders in the energy transition. In addition to her academic career, she is well known as a dedicated activist fighting for a healthier environment. Her vigor is perhaps best illustrated by a viral Facebook post with a photo in which this tall young woman and her colleague Kristina Cvejanov sort waste at a landfill. At the time, they were participating in a project to improve waste management in Serbia.
“Why the landfill, exactly? Because waste is an unexploited resource in Serbia. Data on quantities and types of waste are incomplete,” she stressed.
Milica and her project colleagues carried out a morphological analysis of 44 categories of waste to discover which ones are suitable for recycling, composting and energy recovery. They took the example of Vienna, which has three waste-to-energy plants, in its own words.
“Our waste is not garbage that is supposed to go to landfill, even though that is what happens in 90 percent of cases,” Milica said.
Women from energy-poor households find themselves in a particularly difficult situation
Iva Đinđić Ćosić, senior associate expert for contracts at state transmission system operator Elektromreža Srbije (EMS) and board member of the Serbian Energy Law Association (UPES), is a new member of the WISE Serbia network.
It brings together 230 women professionally active in the fields of energy, climate action and environmental protection. Đinđić Ćosić pointed out that the company has more female than male employees in its management, unlike state-owned coal and electricity producer Elektroprivreda Srbije (EPS) and gas transmission and storage operator Srbijagas.
Đinđić Ćosić: EMS has more female than male employees
“Analysis of the new WISE Serbia survey on the role of housewives and women in business, regarding the energy transition, clearly shows that women are not in a favorable position. Women living in energy-poor households find themselves in a particularly difficult situation. The laws are improved, but the question is whether women are informed about the support they can receive,” Đinđić emphasized.
Citizens are not informed of the sources of funding available to them
Commenting on the research results, a renowned banker and member of WISE Serbia Svetlana Cerovic, responsible for financing renewable energy projects at UniCredit Bank, highlighted that they show that one of the biggest challenges for a successful energy transition is the lack of information on energy efficiency as well as sources of energy. renewable energy. On the other hand, she pointed out, it is clear that people receive the most information from the media, so it is necessary to use them to promote these topics.
“It is very important to inform citizens about these topics, because it is clear that the level of awareness of their importance is low,” Cerović said, adding that she sees this as the reason why the available funding sources are not are not sufficiently used.
“We could also use the WISE network to publish relevant information, in addition to the media we have already mentioned and social networks,” Cerović emphasized.
Expertise in energy law is obtained through work and cooperation with energy companies
Lawyer Aleksandra Petrović from the law firm Schoenherr Srbija – Moravčević Vojnović i Partneri, in cooperation with Schoenher, participated in the panel bringing together businesswomen. The office was part of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development consulting team that advised the Ministry of Mines and Energy in drafting the amendments to the law on the use of renewable energy sources and the preparation of auctions which took place recently.
Petrović said that legal expertise is important, but in energy law it is obtained through work and cooperation with investors, energy companies, through projects.
The law firm Schoenherr Srbija – Moravčević Vojnović i Partneri, in cooperation with Schoenher, advised the Ministry of Mines and Energy in the preparation of the auctions that took place recently.
She emphasized that energy law is not part of the curriculum subjects, neither in undergraduate studies nor in specialized studies.
“This is why people need to become more familiar with energy law, which can be done if industry players talk about it, including at gatherings like this. This is exactly what I intend to do, both through the WISE network and the Serbian Energy Law Association,” Petrović emphasized.
Menprom covers 30% of its energy needs from renewable sources
The history of Menprom’s energy transition, a meat producer from Tuzla in Bosnia and Herzegovina, remains one of the most read articles on the Balkan Green Energy News website. The family business has managed to show that much can be achieved with careful management and an active approach to opportunities for a business to align with the principles of the Green Agenda.
Deputy General Director of Menprom Merima Dževdetbegović said management wasn’t even aware of the quality of their project until they saw the response the article generated.
According to her, making the company greener involved an energy audit, followed by an analysis of opportunities to improve energy efficiency, then the construction of a solar power plant on the roofs of the factory and the installation of heat pumps. Menprom currently covers 30% of its energy needs from renewable sources.
Dževdetbegović: My ten-year-old daughter says she wants to leave Bosnia and Herzegovina because it is dirty
“The company is located in a part of the city with lots of green space. When I look out the window, when I see these forests, I tell myself that it is up to us to preserve them. Conversely, my ten-year-old daughter says she wants to leave Bosnia-Herzegovina because it is dirty. These are some of the motivations, besides saving, that motivate us, in family businesses and for us women,” Merima explained.
The main thing is to set a good example
Commenting that at conferences she attends where most attendees are men, she is often asked what it means to be a woman in the energy sector, Neda Lazendić, Country Manager at WV-International and a member of the WISE Serbia women’s network for five years now, said half-jokingly that she usually responds: “Not bad, thanks for asking.” »
The main thing, she says, is to set a good example.
Lazendić: I am responsible for setting an example that a woman can be a leader in the energy sector
“I understand that it is my responsibility to the sector that I have worked in for over a decade now, but also to younger women who are just starting their careers in this sector, or who are considering it, to lead by example who a woman can be a leader in the energy field. It is important to feel good about your knowledge and experience. Besides all this, it is very important for me to be a good mother to my two sons and to balance my professional and personal life,” Lazendić said.
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