As part of a U.S. government-wide priority to advance women’s economic security, Vice President Kamala Harris launched the Women in the Sustainable Economy (WISE) Initiative today at APEC Economic Leaders Week. Additionally, the Vice President announced more than $163 million from the United States government to bolster women’s economic participation in green and blue industries where they have been historically underrepresented, such as energy, fisheries, waste recycling, forest management, and conservation. As a part of the Vice President’s announcement and working with Congress, USAID will contribute $42 million of new funding to the WISE Initiative, bringing the Agency’s overall commitment towards WISE to $116 million since 2020.
This new announcement reflects the Agency’s and the Department of States’ commitment to supporting women in the sustainable economy – including activities that advance women’s economic security in sustainable agriculture, waste management, urban climate adaptation, clean energy, and other male-dominated sectors; supporting women’s land rights, and enabling the conditions that allow women to thrive in energy, fisheries, waste recycling, forest management, and conservation contexts.
The WISE Initiative collaborates with governments, private sector companies, foundations, civil society, and multilateral institutions to bolster women's economic security within the green and blue sectors through three key pillars: promoting high-quality, well-paying jobs for women; supporting women-owned, -led, and -managed businesses; and eliminating barriers to women’s economic participation.
USAID maintains its unwavering commitment to uplift equal rights, opportunities, and benefits for women by addressing the substantial challenges hindering women's economic security globally.