A Successfull 2023 for Women on the Move

The WoM network has completed an eventful year

The Mentorship Programme, which began as an online initiative to connect women working in the transport sector, has officially concluded a successful year. At the start of the year, each participant was paired as a mentor or mentee, and the program activities included focused meetings initiated by each pair to establish their goals. Throughout the year, participants engaged in in several session with Safetipin, Women in The Leadership, and Women Mobilize Women to discuss transport sector topics and provide an update on their mentorship progress.  

The wrap-up session of the year, which took place on 24 November 2023, paired 16 individuals across 15 countries in mentor-mentee relationships. Participants shared their insights on the benefits and drawbacks of the public transport system in their respective cities and expressed their aspirations for the future of the transport system in their communities. 

Mentorship for personal growth

The highlight of the session: Several mentor-mentee pairs shared positive and touching insights from their experiences during the year. They discussed specific projects, similar goals, collaborations and the professional and personal growth they achieved. 

My mentor also helped me to improve my confidence not just in a professional level, but also personal.

– Sukma Larastiti, Partnerships Manager at Transportologi

From conceptualising to promote active mobility in Nepal, or completing research proposals in Indonesia, the stories spoke of personal growth as much professional development. While time-zone limited some pairs from frequent meetings, they all made it work within their agendas and motivations.  

To move forward with the network, participants expressed interest in staying connected beyond the mentorship programme. Therefore, Women on The Move invited the participants to join the Linkedin Group to strengthen the communication between the pairs and their fellow participants in the upcoming 2024. 

Launch of the TUEWAS database on women experts in transport

Just as the room was filled with inspiration from the stories of progress, the session ended with the launch of a new initiative to promote women in transport in Asia called TUEWAS, a searchable database of women experts in transport, environment, energy and other related fields. The aim is to make it easier for conference and event organisers to identify and invite qualified women speakers. This initiative has the potential to scale up efforts to achieve gender equality at events worldwide.

This whole purpose is to have exchange and to broadcast our knowledge and expertise to the world.   

– Anneli Stutz, Transport Advisor at GIZ Germany

Overall, the wrap-up session provided positive closure through reflecting on mentorship success in 2023, learning areas for improvement, launching new networking tools, and committing to continue uplifting women in the transport sector. 

NDC Transport Initiative for Asia (NDC-TIA) is part of the International Climate Initiative (IKI). The German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK) supports this initiative on the basis of a decision adopted by the German Bundestag. It supports China, India, and Viet Nam as well as regional and global decarbonisation strategies to increase the ambition around low-carbon transport.