{"id":65371,"date":"2026-01-03T07:34:53","date_gmt":"2026-01-03T07:34:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lirneasia.net\/futureworksasia\/?post_type=projects&p=65371"},"modified":"2026-01-22T10:15:09","modified_gmt":"2026-01-22T10:15:09","slug":"gender-responsive-energy-transition-in-sri-lanka","status":"publish","type":"projects","link":"https:\/\/lirneasia.net\/futureworksasia\/projects\/gender-responsive-energy-transition-in-sri-lanka\/","title":{"rendered":"Gender-Responsive Energy Transition in Sri Lanka: Insights from Mannar and Monaragala"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Grantee<\/strong>: Women and Media Collective (WMC)
Partner organizations:<\/strong> N\/A
Country of focus:<\/strong> Sri Lanka
Grant period:<\/strong> November 2025 \u2013 January 2027<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

FutureWORKS Asia<\/a> is part of the FutureWORKS Collective, a global initiative supported by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) of Canada<\/a>, aimed at addressing the evolving challenges in the world of work across the Global South. As the Asian arm of the broader FutureWORKS network, the initiative is led by LIRNEasia<\/a> and focuses on supporting high-quality, innovative, and gender-responsive research to inform skills development and policy pathways for an inclusive and sustainable future of work in Asia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Following the completion of the first competitive selection process, five research projects under Cycle 1 are currently ongoing. In November 2025, FutureWORKS Asia onboarded seven additional research projects under Cycle 2, expanding the regional research network. These Cycle 2 projects will run until April 2027, deepening evidence and policy engagement across diverse future-of-work themes, including climate transitions, gender, and labour market transformation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

WMC has been selected to conduct a 15 month research and advocacy project, Gender-Responsive Energy Transition in Sri Lanka: Insights from Mannar and Monaragala.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

As Sri Lanka accelerates its transition towards renewable energy and carbon neutrality, energy transition initiatives are reshaping local economies, labour markets, and livelihoods. However, the social and gendered dimensions of these transitions remain under-examined. This project investigates how large-scale solar and wind energy projects in Mannar and Monaragala\u2014two districts with distinct socioeconomic and historical contexts\u2014have included or excluded women, and how these transitions have affected women\u2019s access to decent work, livelihoods, and economic security.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Monaragala, marked by high levels of rural poverty and energy deprivation, and Mannar, a post-war district shaped by unresolved land issues and community grievances, offer contrasting yet critical contexts to examine whether Sri Lanka\u2019s energy transition is just, inclusive, and gender-responsive. The study seeks to generate evidence-based insights to inform more equitable energy and labour transitions, ensuring that climate action does not reinforce existing inequalities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n