LocationsKazakhstan and UNDP put gender rights at the center of the global clean energy race
March 12, 2026
Photo: UNDP Kazakhstan
As the world races to secure the minerals powering the clean energy future—lithium, cobalt, copper, nickel, and rare earth elements—a critical question is emerging in global policy: who bears the costs, and who gets left behind?
Kazakhstan and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) brought this question to the United Nations on 12 March, hosting a high-level side event during the 70th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW70). Organized by the Government of Kazakhstan with the support of UNDP, the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), and the Government of Sweden, the event brought together senior government officials, representatives of international organizations, civil society, and the private sector to address a key tension at the heart of the global energy transition: the richest countries in critical minerals are often those where the risks of environmental harm, displacement, and exclusion are greatest—and these risks disproportionately affect women.
Ivana Živković, UNDP Assistant Administrator, welcomed participants and emphasized that in many mineral-rich contexts women and girls face disproportionate exposure to environmental harm, displacement, and violence linked to extraction activities.
“Too often, women are excluded from decision-making processes that shape the future of their lands, communities, and livelihoods.”UNDP works with governments, private sector actors, and communities to address these challenges, emphasizing participatory governance, gender-sensitive practices, and investment in local development.
Photo: UNDP Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan is well positioned to lead this conversation. As a significant global producer of critical minerals and a country undergoing major industrial transformation, it has both a strong interest in getting this right and a reform track record worth examining.
A UNDP sociological study in Kazakhstan found that nearly 90 percent of women report regularly discussing environmental issues within their communities, compared to roughly 70 percent of men. Women are not passive observers of environmental change; they are among its most active monitors and communicators. Yet they remain underrepresented in leadership positions in the energy and mining sectors, where the most consequential decisions are made.
In terms of enforcement, Kazakhstan has significantly strengthened regulatory oversight. In 2024–2025, administrative fines imposed on the oil and gas sector for environmental violations exceeded US$70 million—a figure that reflects both the scale of industrial activity in the country and a meaningful shift toward greater accountability. Whether this trend will extend to the critical minerals sector as global demand accelerates will be closely watched.
Kazakhstan has also taken important steps on the legal front. Recent reforms have removed longstanding restrictions on women’s employment in several industrial sectors. In addition, the 2023 Presidential Action Plan on Human Rights and the Rule of Law introduced concrete measures to implement the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights—the first national framework of its kind in Central Asia.
Elvira Azimova, the Chairperson of the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Kazakhstan, acknowledged that Kazakhstan is actively developing international cooperation in the field of legal regulation of the extractive industries, gender-responsive governance, and judicial protection of human rights.
As she highlighted “The energy transition must be not only ‘green,’ but also just, inclusive, and sustainable. Only through strong legal institutions, effective mechanisms for access to justice, and the active participation of women and civil society can the benefits of new economic and energy development be ensured for everyone”.
UNDP Kazakhstan also presented findings from a series of analytical studies examining the intersection of environmental justice and industrial development, including the National Baseline Assessment on Business and Human Rights. The research identified concrete opportunities to strengthen corporate human rights due diligence, improve environmental enforcement, and embed international standards—including Article 9 of the Aarhus Convention on access to justice—into domestic judicial and regulatory practice.
The discussion also highlighted a group that rarely features in high-level energy policy debates: women with disabilities, who face compounded barriers in accessing environmental information and justice mechanisms.
The side event built on earlier high-level discussions held during the seventh session of the UN Environment Assembly, organized by UNEP and UN Women.
“The energy transition will only be just if it is inclusive. And it will only be inclusive if women and girls—especially those most affected—can access justice, participate meaningfully in decision-making, and hold institutions accountable,”noted Maria Dotsenko, UNEP Head of Quality Assurance Section of Policy and Programme Division.
Participants also heard perspectives from the private sector. UNDP Kazakhstan outlined its ongoing cooperation with companies to embed gender equality and human rights standards into corporate governance – a model that participants suggested could be adapted for critical mineral supply chains globally.
The event concluded with a clear message: a just energy transition requires legal systems that communities can effectively access, corporations that treat human rights as operational responsibilities rather than reputational concerns, and decision-making processes in which women are involved from the outset.
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