An Inspirational NARUC Initiative
Bevan Flansburg is Deputy Director, International Programs, of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners.
The sight was stunning. More than fifty of us, crammed on this stage, some having to kneel to get in the picture. All women, all leaders in a profession that has long seen disproportionately low levels of women's participation.
Both impromptu and inspirational, this gathering of women occurred at the end of a panel discussion at the March 2018 World Forum on Energy Regulation. I was fortunate to join an esteemed collection of women from Latin America, the Caribbean, Africa, Europe and Eurasia to discuss how energy can serve as a key driver for empowering women in the developing world.
The regulatory community can and should play an important role in advancing gender equity, both in how we think about energy and in how we structure and sustain the regulatory frameworks that support safe, reliable and affordable energy service.
To that end, we at the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners collaborated with our partners at the U.S. Agency for International Development's Energy Division to answer that question - how regulators can promote gender equity and what successful strategies we draw from around the globe.