At COP27, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) announced a suite of programs to advance gender-responsive climate action. New announcements include:
Advancing Gender-Responsive Climate Action
USAID announced $21.8 million dedicated to gender-responsive climate action from the Gender Equity and Equality Action (GEEA) Fund, surpassing its $14 million COP26 commitment. This includes funding for organizations working in over 37 countries to address gender-based violence connected to climate, support to national governments to increase gender equality in their national climate commitments, and programs that advance green jobs for women and gender-smart climate information services.
Through USAID’s Climate Finance Development Accelerator mechanism (CFDA), USAID announced the launch of its new Climate Gender Equity Fund, which will leverage private sector funding to scale climate finance that advances gender-equitable climate action. USAID and online retailer Amazon, Inc., announced a new five-year partnership, with initial seed funding of $6 million to establish the Climate Gender Equity Fund. This new initiative will increase access to climate finance for women-led climate organizations, as well as businesses that advance gender-equitable climate solutions in the least developed countries around the world. As part of its commitment to gender equality and climate change, Amazon is also announcing a new commitment to allocate $50 million from its Climate Pledge Fund to invest in women-founded and women-led climate tech companies. Amazon will collaborate with USAID and the Climate Gender Equity Fund to source new investment opportunities and broaden its pipeline of female applicants. USAID and Amazon will work together to secure at least $60 million in additional funding and invite others to join us in advancing this critical issue.
Investing in Climate Leadership for Egyptian Women
USAID has made a $23 million initial investment in a new, nine-year program, Egyptian Pioneers, that aims to build a more inclusive and capable Egyptian workforce, while contributing to climate goals. The investment will support leadership and professional training, undergraduate and postgraduate scholarships, and study abroad programs in the United States for more than 500 Egyptian women.
Together, these deliverables will accelerate climate action by scaling gender-equitable approaches that leverage women and girls’ unique knowledge, priorities, and experiences – all through impactful partnerships with the private sector, other U.S. government agencies, bilateral and multilateral donors, and philanthropies. Following last year’s announcement at COP26 and as outlined in USAID’s Climate Strategy, USAID is committed to increasing participation and leadership for Indigenous Peoples, local communities, women, and youth in all their diversity in climate action in at least 40 partner countries by 2030.
