Remarks as Prepared for Delivery by Director Jennifer Klein at the Clinton Global Initiative | GPC

Thank you, Secretary Clinton, for your lifetime of leadership advancing rights and opportunities for women and girls – and for your commitment to closing gender gaps in industries that are critical to the fight against climate change.

At the start of the Biden-Harris Administration, President Biden created the White House Gender Policy Council, which I am privileged to lead. The Council has, at its core, a basic principle, which I learned from Secretary Clinton: the full and equal participation of women and girls across economic, social, and political life is not only a moral imperative—it is a strategic imperative.

To address the world’s greatest challenges, we need to eliminate the barriers that hold back women and girls and unleash their full potential.

Tackling the climate crisis is no exception. We can’t solve this problem with the talents and contributions of only half the population. We need the leadership, innovation, and contributions of women and girls to succeed.

That’s why our first-ever National Strategy on Gender Equity and Equality identifies the promotion of gender equality in our efforts to address climate change as a top strategic priority.

And that’s why, last year, Vice President Harris launched the Women in the Sustainable Economy – or WISE – Initiative, to expand women’s access to jobs, training, leadership roles, and financial resources in industries that will shape the future of our planet.

Today, I am honored to announce that new and existing WISE partners are aligning an additional $340 million of commitments to this initiative, bringing the total investment to $1.84 billion and expanding our community of partners to 33 governments, corporations, foundations, and civil society organizations.

This commitment comes from Acumen, Germany, Heading for Change, the Republic of Cyprus, and the United Kingdom.

These partners are:

supporting climate-focused finance initiatives that will benefit millions of women entrepreneurs, farmers, and workers;

helping thousands of women gain access to good jobs in sectors that promote sustainability and economic growth;

investing in fund managers that support solutions focused on advancing gender equality and addressing climate change,

and advancing women’s participation in supply chains designed to protect our planet while achieving ambitious business targets.

I want to thank these partners for their commitment to WISE. We invite all of you—leaders from governments, corporations, philanthropy, and civil society—to join us in our effort to promote women’s full participation in the fight against climate change.

Together, we can protect the health and future of our planet while building a more equal world.