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Vice President Harris Launches Women in the Sustainable Economy Initiative, Totaling Over $900 Million in Commitments

Summary

Vice President Harris, as part of the Biden-Harris Administration's commitment to advancing women's economic empowerment globally, launched the Women in the Sustainable Economy (WISE) Initiative. The initiative, aligned with the 2023 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation theme, aims to enhance women's economic participation in critical sectors such as clean energy, fisheries, and environmental conservation. Over $900 million in commitments were announced by governments, private sector companies, foundations, and civil society to support women's economic empowerment. The WISE initiative focuses on promoting quality jobs, supporting women-led businesses, and eliminating barriers to women's economic participation in energy, land, and water sectors. The initiative includes flagship programs to improve economic opportunities in the energy sector, increase women's access to climate finance, promote women's land rights, and strengthen women's inclusion in the blue economy. Governments, private sector entities, and philanthropic organizations, including the U.S., Australia, Amazon, CARE, and Visa Foundation, committed funds to support the initiative's pillars.

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