Amplifying Women’s Voices, Combating Climate Change: Gender-Climate Highlights from COP28

In celebration of Women’s History Month, the Secretary’s Office of Global Women’s Issues (S/GWI) is looking back on the integration of gender equality into negotiations and dialogues that took place at the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Conference (COP28) in December 2023. Guided by the first-ever U.S. Strategy to Respond to the Effects of Climate Change on Women, S/GWI attended COP28 to engage in bilateral meetings, unveil new investments, and convene events on the gender-climate nexus. S/GWI’s commitment to bolstering women’s climate leadership extends beyond COP into our year-round efforts, including the Innovation Station initiative that brings together women innovators to share translatable best practices for climate action.  

One high-level COP28 event centering women’s leadership was Women Building a Climate-Resilient World: An Event with Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton. According to Christina Chan from the Office of the Special Presidential Envoy for Climate, each of the panelists, “in their vision, leadership, and in their visibility, are using the power that they have made to shine a light and pave the path forward.” The event’s many speakers, including former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and grassroots leaders, shared their desire to see increased investment in women’s innovations in the circular economy, climate-resilient agriculture, and digital technologies, and emphasized the importance of women leaders’ participation in COP negotiations. During her remarks, S/GWI Ambassador-at-Large Dr. Geeta Rao Gupta emphasized a number of relevant policies, programs, and initiatives from the State Department’s list of COP28 gender-climate deliverables.  

Continuing the conversation, Ambassador-at-Large Rao Gupta joined an event on Gender Equality and Climate Change: Translating Policy into Action hosted by the Government of Australia. The Ambassador shared strategies aimed at achieving an equitable transition to a net-zero future, highlighting the crucial role of Climate Change Gender Action Plans (ccGAPs) in driving intersectional efforts. Ambassador-at-Large Rao Gupta praised the Innovation Station initiative as a “perfect example of translating policy into action,” emphasizing its role in fostering relationships that enhance women’s climate solutions in areas ranging from marine tourism to the fashion industry. She highlighted how the U.S. Consulate in Mumbai is facilitating a mentorship program that connects Indian women climate innovators with American women from the Innovation Station network, encouraging collaboration in areas like recycling, emissions reduction, and sustainable agriculture.  

The emphasis on innovation continued at A WISE Investment: Financing the Next Generation of Women Climate Leaders, hosted by S/GWI and the Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs (OES). The event showcased the White House Gender Policy Council’s Women in the Sustainable Economy (WISE) initiative, a public-private partnership that aims to increase women’s access to jobs, training, leadership opportunities, and finance in green and blue sectors. The event also launched a new S/GWI program, Global Girls Creating Change (G2C2), which is designed to elevate girls’ climate leadership and professional opportunities in the sustainable economy. As such, young women climate leaders shared their innovative efforts to amplify youth voices in climate action. Ambassador-at-Large Rao Gupta emphasized the work that lies ahead while acknowledging that, “the very existence of today’s event at the Global Climate Summit. . . speaks to the progress we have made in bringing this critical topic to the forefront.” She recognized the State Department’s team of experts responsible for many of these efforts, including S/GWI senior policy advisor Dr. Aubrey Paris and OES gender and climate leads Jen Grosman Fernandez and Lia Newman, expressing excitement around having “such powerhouses leading this critical work.”

The intent to integrate women’s and girls’ voices and leadership into all levels of climate action featured prominently at many COP28 events, including the High Level Dialogue on Gender Responsive Just Transitions and Climate Action. At the event, the Gender Responsive Just Transitions and Climate Action Partnership was launched by the UAE COP28 Presidency with the endorsement of more than 60 parties, including the United States. The partnership contains commitments aimed at improving women’s opportunities to participate in and shape sustainable economies. During her participation in this event, Ambassador-at-Large Rao Gupta announced the U.S. government’s new intent to commit $10 million to the Women Entrepreneurs Finance Initiative (We-Fi) to facilitate women’s entrepreneurship in the sustainable economy.  

At COP28, the United States once again made clear its commitment to promoting women’s and girls’ crucial role in crafting effective solutions to the climate crisis. From the first-ever U.S. Strategy to Respond to the Effects of Climate Change on Women, to initiatives like Innovation Station and WISE, to new programs like G2C2, the U.S. government continues to seek avenues and promote best practices for weaving gender considerations into the fabric of climate policy and action. Our work at COP28 highlighted progress on elevating the gender-climate nexus globally while paving the way toward sustained action and collaboration. Onward! 

About the Authors: Ilinca Drondoe and Laura Gamble are VSFS interns with the Secretary’s Office of Global Women’s Issues, working under the leadership of Dr. Aubrey Paris on the Innovation Station initiative. Ilinca will graduate from Wellesley College in May 2026 with a B.A. in Peace & Justice Studies. Laura will graduate from Penn State University in May 2024 with a B.A. in Psychology and Diversity Studies Certificate