Good afternoon, everyone. I appreciate the chance to speak with you all at the end of this important side event.  I want to thank the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and the Government of Liberia for hosting it today, and for all the work they are doing to address climate change and promote gender equality.   USAID fully agrees that it is important that gender aspects be a part of the COP-21 framework.  

This is the kind of conversation that needs to happen more frequently, and it’s up to all of us to keep it going after this week. The distinguished panelists are leading that effort within their own countries and organizations, and I want to thank them for their insights.  It is refreshing to learn how countries are seizing opportunities to lower emissions, become more resilient, and advance women’s development – all at the same time.

At COP-17, I met with many activists, the Government of Finland, IUCN, and we collectively realized that we needed to do more at the intersection of gender and climate, and so, in 2013, we launched a five-year, multi-million dollar partnership with Finland and IUCN.  USAID is heartened by the progress made.   More and more, as we have all been hearing today, gender equality is becoming a key focus area in climate work – so much so that it’s getting increasingly difficult to have serious discussions on climate change without also considering gender.

But, we have to go even further. It’s easy enough to frame the implications of climate change on women in terms of vulnerability.  Women face significant challenges all over the world – in many places, they are the poorest of the poor, facing stark inequalities in income and access to resources.  So it’s no surprise that women are among the most vulnerable to climate change impacts, from extreme storms to heat waves and drought.

That’s an important point and a compelling angle, but it doesn’t show the full picture.  Despite their disproportionate vulnerabilities, women can also be effective agents of change in responding to climate change, both in terms of building resilience and cutting emissions.  For example, women tend to have experience and knowledge related to agriculture and natural resources, and they often make decisions for their household about things like energy use.

That’s why climate policies and initiatives are more effective when they tap into women’s skillsets.  That’s not just fair – it’s smart development and smart economics. This is especially important for the relatively new clean energy sector, where we have the opportunity to incorporate women in the early stages of the industry’s growth.

To move forward with a gender-responsive climate approach, we are first going to need to address the serious gaps in knowledge that are slowing our work. Countries are already starting to recognize this. For example, Panama is working to make gender-disaggregated data available on things like energy supply and consumption.  Last year, the USAID-IUCN-Finland partnership identified critical gaps in action and knowledge related to large and utility-scale clean energy and gender, and just launched a new platform to highlight best practices and share hundreds of publications on clean energy technologies.

We are already relying on the partnership’s research to inform the U.S. Government’s approach to gender in the Power Africa initiative, which aims to connect 60 million households and businesses in sub-Saharan Africa to electricity.  Power Africa recognizes that women are more than underserved end-users, and is creating opportunities for women throughout the energy value chain – from addressing barriers faced by women-owned businesses to training women as sales agents and solar technicians.  We are supporting opportunities for women in other places as well, like in Kosovo, where USAID is helping increase the number of women engaged in technical leadership of the country’s energy sector through a scholarship program.

Like all the distinguished panelists and many of you in the audience today, USAID is committed to empowering women through all of the work we do around the world, and we will continue to support climate-related projects that recognize their potential as powerful agents of change.  Thank you for all you are doing to tap into that potential as well, and we look forward to continuing to work together in this crucially arena.