In celebration of International Women’s Day last week, Counterpart and its partners brought together women leaders in the blue and green economies, along with high level government representatives, implementing partners, and the private sector, to discuss the vital role that women play in shaping sustainable development. The Catalyzing Women’s Leadership in the Green and Blue Economies event served as a platform for dialogue, collaboration, and action toward supporting women’s empowerment in these crucial sectors.
Hosted by Counterpart International and co-sponsored by EnCompass LLC, Chemonics, and the Saudat Salami Foundation of Nigeria, the March 5 event drew over 100 diverse participants who exchanged ideas, insights, and innovative solutions aimed at driving positive change.
Corinne Hart, senior gender advisor at USAID, shared insights on ways to advance women’s leadership in the green and blue economies. She was joined on the panel by Camille Richardson, vice president of women’s empowerment at Counterpart.
Counterpart’s vice president of women’s empowerment, Camille Richardson, set the stage by explaining that a “green economy” is low carbon, resource efficient, and socially inclusive, promoting sustainability through renewable energy, sustainable agriculture, and eco-tourism. A “blue economy” focuses on the sustainable use of ocean resources, including fisheries, marine transportation, and coastal tourism.
Fostering Collaboration for Change
Rachel Vogelstein, deputy director of the White House Gender Policy Council, emphasized the important role of women in sustainable industries. According to Vogelstein, women’s participation “will be so critical to the economic growth and the health and future of our planet—fields like solar and wind, ocean conservation, recycling and waste management.” Vogelstein warned, however, that if current trends don’t change, women will only hold 25% of the 67 million new green economy jobs anticipated by 2030. She emphasized the importance of the Biden-Harris administration’s Women in the Sustainable Economy (WISE) Initiative, which aims to decrease gender gaps by increasing women’s access to green and blue jobs, training, and leadership opportunities. She also highlighted the importance of the USAID Climate Gender Equity Fund to support greater financing for women’s green and blue economic initiatives.
Global Women In Management alumni Thilma Komaling and Saudat Salami share their personal leadership journeys and insights into advancing women’s leadership in their sectors.
Corinne Hart, senior gender advisor and team lead for energy, environment, and climate within USAID’s Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment Hub, spoke of the importance of programs like USAID’s Engendering Industries, which supports companies to increase workforce gender equality in male-dominated sectors worldwide. She shared that USAID is funding these types of gender-responsive climate programs at a higher level than ever before, investing 120 million dollars in the past few years alone.
Thilma Komaling and Saudat Salami, alumni of Counterpart’s Global Women In Management program, and women leaders from the USDA Food for Progress Guatemala project and the women in STEM incubator and accelerator program WomHub, shared their personal experiences, including insights from their work in industries ranging from sustainable tuna and coffee to the energy sector.
Empowering Women for a Sustainable Future
Throughout the day-long event, participants explored the intersectionality of gender and environmental issues, recognizing the unique experiences faced by women in all their diversity—including members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and intersex (LGBTQI+) community; women and girls of every age, caste, race or ethnic origin, religion, or belief; and women and girls with disabilities. Saudat Salami, founder of the Saudat Salami Foundation in Nigeria, noted that “It’s not just about getting women in the workplace. We need to make sure the workplace environment is inclusive in all ways.”
Participants engaged in day-long discussions at Counterpart’s DC office exploring the intersection of gender and the environment.
Participants identified practical ways to amplify diverse women’s voices in the climate investment space, dismantle barriers that limit women’s leadership in male-dominated green and blue industries, and foster more inclusive partnerships with global women’s organizations and businesses to better implement sustainable solutions. These action items will be captured in a white paper, to be published later this year.
As we commemorate Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day (March 8), we continue to champion diverse women’s leadership in sustainable economies and share success stories of the work already being done to help build a more resilient, gender equitable, and sustainable world in which women are co-leading green and blue economic solutions.
To read the full event recap, visit the Encompass blog here.
