Many Voices. One Signal. | Women in Green Hydrogen MENA–GCC: From Evidence to Action
Who gets to shape the green hydrogen future?
The EU-funded MED-GEM Network has launched “Many Voices. One Signal.”, a regional advocacy campaign calling for stronger representation, equal opportunities and greater influence for women in the emerging green hydrogen economy. Building on the first Women in Green Hydrogen Action Lab in North Africa, the initiative is now expanding to the Middle East and Gulf. Women professionals are invited to contribute to two regional expert mappings and join Action Lab 2 on 24 November 2026.
Three ways to take action
🎬 WATCH & SHARE: Many Voices. One Signal. – Advocacy Film
SHARE YOUR EXPERIENCE:
JOIN THE CONVERSATION: Action Lab 2 – 24 November 2026, 14:00–15:30 CET
The talent is there. The opportunities are not equally accessible.
As green hydrogen projects progress from strategies and investment announcements towards industrial development and implementation, an important question emerges: who will design, finance, operate and govern this new energy economy?
Across North Africa, the Middle East and the Gulf, women are contributing to renewable energy, engineering, scientific research, innovation and clean technologies. Yet their participation remains uneven in the professional and decision-making roles that determine how energy projects are developed and delivered.
Recognising this challenge, MED-GEM Network initiated the Women in Green Hydrogen EU–MENA–GCC Action Labs, a regional communication, awareness-raising and stakeholder-engagement initiative developed through collaboration with Women in Green Hydrogen (WiGH), the Regional Center for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (RCREEE) and other regional and international partners.
The ambition is to move beyond visibility towards an evidence-based understanding of women's expertise, the barriers they encounter and the opportunities that could strengthen their participation across the green hydrogen value chain.
Four principles guide this process:
CONNECT · UNDERSTAND · COLLABORATE · ACTIVATE
Through regional consultations, expert mapping, professional exchanges and institutional dialogue, the initiative seeks to connect women's experiences with practical actions in skills development, mentoring, industry access, finance, entrepreneurship, leadership and policy advocacy.
Connecting regional action with European equality priorities
The initiative draws inspiration from the European Commission's Equality Platform for the Energy Sector, established in 2021 to encourage equality, diversity and inclusion across the energy sector.
The Platform promotes the exchange of experiences and good practices, more inclusive professional environments and concrete actions supporting equal opportunities.
These objectives are particularly relevant to emerging renewable energy and hydrogen industries, where professional pathways, industrial value chains and leadership structures are still evolving.
The MED-GEM Action Labs bring these principles into a regional context by connecting women professionals and gathering evidence that can inform future cooperation and policy discussions.
The Action Labs are an independent regional initiative inspired by the Platform's principles, not an official activity of the European Commission's Equality Platform.
🇪🇺 Discover the European Commission's Equality Platform for the Energy Sector
From North Africa: five countries, three questions, one shared ambition
The initiative's first milestone took place on 14 September 2026, with the Women in Green Hydrogen North Africa Coffee Talk / Action Lab 1.
Organised by MED-GEM Network in cooperation with the WiGH North Africa community, the interactive session connected women professionals from Algeria, Egypt, Mauritania, Morocco and Tunisia.
The discussions benefited from the regional coordination of Nihal Mansouri and contributions from country representatives and coordinators, including Radia Lasledj (Algeria), Eman Adel (Egypt), Hana Didi Bounama (Mauritania), Maya Demnati (Morocco) and Ghada Amari (Tunisia).
Rather than following a conventional webinar format, participants explored three common questions:
- Where are the women? Identifying existing expertise and professional roles.
- What is holding women back? Understanding structural barriers and unequal access to opportunities.
- What should we activate next? Identifying realistic priorities for collaboration and action.
The regional discussion was enriched by Nadia Chioukh, Director of International Cooperation & Strategic Partnerships at RCREEE, and Gauri Singh, Deputy Director-General of IRENA, who contributed regional and international perspectives.
The first findings highlighted a central challenge:
North Africa does not lack qualified women. It needs stronger connections between women's existing expertise and real opportunities in project development, industrial implementation, finance and leadership.
Among the recurring priorities were specialised training, technical experience, mentoring, access to professional networks, industry partnerships and greater participation in decision-making.
These insights form the foundation for a wider regional consultation, enabling comparisons between national contexts while identifying common challenges and potential solutions.
▶️ Watch Action Lab 1 – North Africa
📄 Explore the Action Lab 1 findings and country perspectives
🎬 Many Voices. One Signal. A collective advocacy campaign
Building on this first regional conversation, MED-GEM Network has launched “Many Voices. One Signal.”, an advocacy film bringing together representatives of European and regional institutions, international organisations, industry and professional energy networks.
The film conveys a shared conviction:
The green hydrogen transition cannot reach its full potential unless women have equal opportunities to participate in the roles where projects are designed, financed, implemented and governed.
The voices behind the campaign
The film features contributions from:
European Commission and MED-GEM Network
- Frank Wouters – Director, MED-GEM Network; MENA Hydrogen Alliance; Dii Desert Energy
- Milou Beerepoot – Project Manager, Regional Programmes Neighbourhood South – Energy, European Commission, DG MENA & Gulf
- Tiziana de Harlez – Project Manager, GIZ International Services / MED-GEM Network
- Raya Ben Guiza Verniers – Communication & Raising Awareness Expert, MED-GEM Network
Women in Green Hydrogen
- Nihal Mansouri – Regional Director North Africa, Women in Green Hydrogen
- Ioana Marins – Regional Director GCC, Women in Green Hydrogen
Regional and international organisations
- Nadia Chioukh – Director of International Cooperation & Strategic Partnerships, RCREEE
- Maria Grineva – Communication & Partnerships, UNIDO Global Programme for Hydrogen in Industry
- Camilia Daoudi – Project Administrator, UNIDO Climate & Technology Partnerships Division
- Houda Ben Jannet – Director General, OMEC – Mediterranean Energy & Climate
- Valeria Aruffo – Executive Director, Dii Desert Energy
- Spyros Kouvelis – Team Leader, EU–GCC Cooperation on Green Transition
- Rania Nseir – Event Management & Communications Expert, EU–GCC Cooperation on Green Transition
Together, these voices help connect the campaign's central message with the expertise and experience of the institutions and professionals working across the energy transition.
The film is not a conclusion. It is an invitation to participate.
Two regions. Two expert mappings. One shared ambition.
Women's experiences are essential to identifying the barriers that policies, institutions and industry need to address.
Two short online questionnaires are collecting information about professional expertise, access to opportunities, barriers, priority needs and potential areas for cooperation.
Each contribution will help strengthen the regional evidence and inform the discussions taking place during the Action Labs.
Middle East & GCC – Add your voice!
Women working in green hydrogen, renewable energy, engineering, research, project development, entrepreneurship, investment, finance and energy policy are invited to contribute to the Middle East & GCC mapping.
The questionnaire will inform the upcoming Action Lab 2, helping identify common challenges, regional differences and priorities for action.
👉 COMPLETE THE MIDDLE EAST & GCC EXPERT MAPPING
North Africa – Keep contributing!
Following Action Lab 1, the North Africa mapping remains open to additional contributions from women in Algeria, Egypt, Mauritania, Morocco and Tunisia.
New responses will help enrich the initial findings, strengthen the regional evidence and support future professional networking and advocacy activities.
👉 CONTINUE CONTRIBUTING TO THE NORTH AFRICA MAPPING
Take approximately three minutes. Share your expertise. Help shape the evidence.
Save the date: Women in Green Hydrogen Action Lab 2 – Middle East & GCC
Tuesday, 24 November 2026
14:00–15:30 CET (Brussels time)
Online | Microsoft Teams
MED-GEM Network, with support from RCREEE and contributions from Women in Green Hydrogen and regional partners, will convene the second Action Lab to extend the discussion to women professionals across the Middle East and Gulf.
Building on the regional expert mapping, this interactive session will focus on moving from identifying barriers towards practical solutions.
Participants will be invited to explore:
- Where women are currently active across the green hydrogen value chain.
- Which barriers limit access to technical, industrial, financial and leadership opportunities.
- What regional cooperation, professional support and policy measures could make a difference.
- Which recommendations should inform future regional advocacy.
Women professionals, researchers, entrepreneurs, policymakers, industry representatives and stakeholders committed to an inclusive energy transition are encouraged to participate.
💻 JOIN ACTION LAB 2 ON MICROSOFT TEAMS
Participants are also encouraged to complete the relevant regional mapping before the session so that their experiences can inform the discussion.
From evidence to policy: sustaining the momentum beyond 2026
The two Action Labs form part of a broader pathway designed to transform regional dialogue into evidence-based advocacy and concrete opportunities for cooperation.
The emerging findings are expected to contribute to “From Evidence to Policy”, a dedicated discussion planned for the MED-GEM Network Closing Event in Brussels on 2 December 2026.
This next step will aim to bring women's experiences and regional priorities into dialogue with institutional partners, policymakers and stakeholders working on energy transition, skills, investment and industrial development.
But the ambition does not end with the current MED-GEM phase.
MED-GEM Network and RCREEE are exploring how to consolidate the experience of the Action Labs into a longer-term regional approach, maintaining the professional dialogue and supporting future networking, capacity building and evidence-based advocacy across the MENA region and the wider Arab world.
With RCREEE envisaged as a potential institutional anchor for regional continuity, subject to the necessary agreements and resources, the initiative could provide a foundation for sustained cooperation with women professionals, energy institutions, industry and international partners.
The objective is to ensure that the evidence collected today helps inform the professional opportunities, partnerships and policy discussions of tomorrow.
💚 Your voice can help shape what happens next. Watch the video. Share it with your networks. Complete the mapping. Join Action Lab 2.
- Watch “Many Voices. One Signal.”
- Contribute to the Middle East & GCC mapping
- Contribute to the North Africa mapping
- Join Action Lab 2 – 24 November 2026
The talent is already there. Let's make sure the opportunities are too.
MANY VOICES. ONE SIGNAL.
From Evidence to Action. From Participation to Influence.
MED-GEM Network is funded by the European Union and implemented by GIZ International Services.