Hong Kong, March 2024 – Women in Finance Asia (WIFA) and the U.S. Consulate General Hong Kong & Macau are pleased to announce the launch of a new partnership focused on advancing climate action in Asia through the Women Green the Way (WGTW) initiative.
The WGTW initiative is a network of women leaders from across the Asia Pacific combatting climate change, particularly through financing the region’s net-zero transition.
The United States Department of State featured the WGTW initiative at the Women & Gender Constituency Pavilion event at COP28.
Recognizing Asia’s critical role in combating climate change and the estimated US$2 trillion annual funding gap for sustainable projects in the region for the net-zero transition, WIFA and the U.S. Consulate General have formed a partnership to leverage the expertise of women leaders through the WGTW network.
In 2023, WIFA and the U.S. Consulate successfully launched the initiative, bringing together women change leaders. During two days of panels, workshops, and networking, participants and partners expressed strong interest in further developing/continuing the initiative.
Moving forward, WIFA and the U.S. Consulate are implementing an action plan to institutionalize and mobilize the network. This includes conducting a survey to evaluate the network’s effectiveness, hosting expert speaker events, developing an online platform to facilitate networking and power-building, and organizing an annual conference to facilitate collaboration on climate finance and policy issues across the Indo-Pacific region. This initiative will build collaborations and advance progress on global climate goals by empowering women leaders and bridging gaps through cross-sector and cross-border cooperation.
In the coming years, WIFA, U.S. Consulate General, and network members and partners will refine the Women Green the Way initiative as a platform to mobilize green finance and accelerate climate action in Asia.