PRESS RELEASE
Feb. 1, 2012
Women Take the Reins of the Green Economy
Unprecedented Event Brings Together Influential Women to Develop Environmental Solutions
DELHI, India – Fifty of the most influential women in business, media and civil society came together today to increase the participation and leadership of women in India and key countries of South Asia in the design and implementation of the “post-carbon” economy.
Earth Day Network (EDN), in partnership with The Energy Resources Institute (TERI), hosted the day-long forum in Delhi, India, as part of their Women and the Green Economy (WAGE®) campaign.
“Women comprise more than half of the global population, and they really drive the economy, making the majority of all consumer choices,” said Kathleen Rogers, president of Earth Day Network. “So if we really want to create a post-carbon economy, women have to recognize their immense and unique power, demand a seat at the table and start steering the decision-making process. The WAGE campaign and today’s forum are empowering women to do just that.”
The goal of the forum is to begin developing a strong, cohesive set of policy proposals to achieve a green economy. The proposals will be presented to the Government of India and to the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Secretariat. They will then be disseminated to the United Nations, the U.N. Foundation, the U.S. and other state departments, as well as directly into the RIO+20 process, where EDN holds a seat on the Women’s Steering Committee for the Women’s Major Group.
“Today’s event is unprecedented,” said Dr. Elinor Ostrom, Nobel Laureate economist and moderator of the forum. “Aggregating the voices of these influential women will not only help to get world leaders focused on the best policies to create a green economy but also secure educational and job training opportunities for women and channel green investment to benefit women, which will strengthen the global economy.”
The forum was held as a special event to TERI’s annual flagship event, the 12th Delhi Sustainable Development Summit 2012, which brings together government, civil society and corporate leaders from around the globe.
“It’s fitting that the WAGE forum is taking place here at Delhi, as a special event to the Delhi Sustainable Development Summit. India is one of the world’s fastest growing democracies and a lynchpin in solving the climate crisis,” said Dr. R.K. Pachauri, Director-General, TERI.
Launched at the 16th U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Conference of the Parties in Cancun, Mexico. in December, 2010, the WAGE® Campaign is actively creating a road map for women to aggregate their power and promote their leadership in creating a sustainable green economy and mitigating climate change. WAGE® is working today to create a policy agenda for Rio+20 and generate relevant national initiatives that will promote the green economy, secure educational and job training opportunities for women and channel green investment to benefit women.
Learn more about the WAGE campaign here: http://bit.ly/yrZq9n.
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About Earth Day Network
Earth Day Network’s mission is to broaden, diversify and mobilize the environmental movement, driving action year-round. Earth Day Network does this through advocacy, education, public policy, and consumer campaigns. Earth Day Network mobilizes over one billion people in 192 countries with the help of our 25,000 partners. www.earthday.org
About The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI)
From microbiology to global climate change, from smoke-filled rural kitchens to plush corporate boardrooms, from schoolchildren to heads of state—no sphere of human endeavour is unfamiliar to TERI. Headed by world-renowned economist and Head of the Nobel Prize winning UN Climate panel, Dr. R K Pachauri, TERI is best described as an independent, not-for-profit research institute focused on energy, environment, and sustainable development and devoted to efficient and sustainable use of natural resources.
A dynamic and flexible organization established in 1974, all activities in TERI move from formulating local and national level strategies to suggesting global solutions to critical energy and environment-related issues. Headquartered in New Delhi, TERI has established regional offices in Mumbai, Bangalore, Goa, Guwahati and Mukhteshwer in the Himalaya’s and International centres in Japan, Malaysia, the United Arab Emirates, Washington DC, London and Utrecht, The Netherlands.
www.teriin.org
About the Delhi Sustainable Development Summit
The Delhi Sustainable Development Summit (DSDS), organized annually by The Energy and Resources Institute since 2001, is an international undertaking that provides a platform for the exchange of knowledge on all aspects of sustainable development. Over the past ten years, DSDS has emerged as one of the most important forums on global sustainability issues, which brings together important heads of the State and Central Governments, academics, and policy makers to deliberate over environmental issues. http://dsds.teriin.org/2012/
Media Contact (TERI):
• Rajiv Chhibber, 9810426698, [email protected]
• Debanjana Choudhuri De – +91-8447084563, [email protected]
