ADB GESI Self Assessment
for South Asian Energy Utilities
Overview
Why this instrument?
The GESI Self Assessment for South Asian Energy Utilities (the 'Self Assessment') is intended to help ADB and its borrowers to identify avenues for enhancing partnership when mainstreaming gender, equality, and social inclusion (GESI) in institutional and corporate governance practices.
What topics does it cover?
The survey comprises a number of questions, informed by a close reading of existing international practice.
Within each section, self-assessment questions are organized thematically to help respondents quickly inventory areas for maximizing investments in gender-inclusive development. Thematic areas include:
- Operational Policies- institutional policies, directives, strategies, rules, and guidelines relevant to GESI
- Internal Operations - practices and procedures for staff and workers
- External Operations - practices and procedures benefiting external audiences
- Mainstreaming - systems and mechanisms for facilitating GESI mainstreaming
Following the example of EDGE, questions are grouped in two sections:
1. GESI Core
The first section assesses GESI mainstreaming topics common in South Asian contexts: (i) balancing women’s and men’s participation in operations and benefiting from services and resources, and (ii) supporting the inclusion of persons with disabilities (PWDs) throughout organizations and operations. The objective is to determine the readiness or capacity of the agency or power utility to enter into collaborative endeavors with ADB in the topical areas covered by the assessment.
ADB requests all partner energy sector agencies and power utilities to complete this section.
2. GESI Core +
The second section covers groups that are excluded and vulnerable due to their sexual and gender identities (i.e., LGBTI+), other social identities (e.g., ethnicity, caste, religion, nationality), and their specific situation (e.g., age, occupation, and being in disaster-prone, conflict-affected, and/or remote areas). Partner energy sector agencies and power utilities are invited to complete as many or as little of this part as willing and able according to national contexts and organizational readiness. The questions are structured in a similar presentation format but do not overlap.
When should this survey be completed?
Borrowers may complete the survey at any stage of project cycle—though the best time is during project processing when gender mainstreaming targets are being set.
How to interpret the results?
Responses to survey questions have an assigned score, normalized into five-level scale. As borrowers respond to questions, the survey automatically populates a results index that shows the individual response value as well as aggregate values for thematic question groupings.
Scores are assigned numerical and color values. Values are color coded and spatially arranged to help viewers quickly scan and identify areas where borrowers have greater or lesser commitments to GESI mainstreaming.
| Level | Characterization |
|---|---|
| GESI mainstreaming not perceived as relevant. | |
| GESI mainstreaming under consideration. | |
| GESI mainstreaming is perceived as relevant but integration efforts are early. | |
| GESI mainstreaming efforts are ongoing. | |
| GESI mainstreaming efforts are ongoing and sustainably implemented. |
Lower scores may indicate areas where the borrower is legally encumbered from acting, or where borrower reliance on national legal frameworks is high. Scores in the middle of the range are often those areas where additional partnership between ADB and borrowers offers the greatest return on investment.
Scores are not grades. Survey responses do not affect borrower or project status in any other ADB classification or rating system. The purpose of numerical value assignments is to allow responses to be weighed along a standing rating scale—to help borrowers and ADB determine avenues for continued partnership and investment. This information informs ongoing engagements between ADB and borrowers, including with respect to defining action plans for further GESI mainstreaming to be attached to project loans, identifying areas for further technical assistance from ADB, or exploring areas for innovation and advancement of the objectives of the SDGs, ADB Strategy 2030, country law, as well as the borrower's own commitments and strategic objectives.
About the Content
The content for this survey is tailored for South Asian energy sector agencies and power utilities.
The preparation of this self-assessment referenced existing corporate gender self-assessment tools, especially from 'Gender Gap Analysis Tool' for the Women's Empowerment Principles (WEPs) of the UN Global Compact, UN Women, the Multilateral Investment Fund of the IDB, and IDB Invest. Questions are also designed to align with the 'Power Sector Questionnaire on Human Resources, Training and Gender Practices' developed by the World Bank Energy Sector Management Assistance Program.
Initial survey content was circulated for review and comment to ADB staff, consultant peer reviewers colleagues from the World Bank and WePOWER.
Source Spreadsheet [Excel]
Questions are supplied to the notebook in Excel file format, with two spreadsheet tabs: one for content and another for layout.
Spreadsheet values are interpreted into data arrays, as shown below. Click the arrow icon to unfurl the dataset.
questions =
layout =
config =
Questions
Layout