Yvette Stevens
Special Coordinator for Africa and the Least Developed Countries
The United Nations

Abstract
The speech examines the role of African women in their societies and their needs in the energy sector. In addition, it reviews the outcomes of major global conferences as relates to recommended actions to address the subject of women and energy. Furthermore, it draws attention to the recent emphasis on the development agenda, in particular the focus on poverty elimination, as well as recent initiatives for granting access to western markets by African countries, and considered the relevance of including actions to improve access of women to energy in order to fulfil the development objectives. Finally, in reviewing the above elements, it argues that the time for action to address the questions of access of women to energy alternatives is now. In conclusion, concrete recommendations for action are proposed. These include measures to ensure that energy statistics are collected, that technologies are identified and that applied research is done to adapt them to meet the needs of African women, that networks for exchange of experiences are created, and that mechanisms are put in place to ensure sustainability.