Columbia University Lecture: Women, Energy and Economic Empowerment

Please join the Center on Global Energy Policy's Women in Energy program, the SIPA Energy Association, and the SIPA Consulting Club for an evening of frank and interactive discussion on the interplay of gender, energy, and sustainable development.

As state leaders gather to sign the Paris Agreement on April 22— Earth Day— we must realize that some critical conversations remain unspoken at the diplomatic level.   While the benefits of clean, renewable, and sustainable energy are well-understood, we must also ask ourselves, Clean energy for whom? How do cultural norms and gender dynamics shape energy access? Who is gaining most from this clean energy revolution? What impact does greater access to clean energy have on women’s economic empowerment?  

Following introductory remarks by Jason Bordoff, Founding Director of the Center on Global Energy Policy, Rachel Kyte, CEO and Special Representative of the UN Secretary General for Sustainable Energy for All, will deliver the keynote speech. There will be a panel conversation on this topic moderated by Cheryl Wilson, Energy Policy Analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence featuring:

• Richenda Van Leeuwen, Executive Director, UN Foundation, Energy and Climate, Energy Access Initiative
• Kathleen O'Dell, Senior Manager, Deloitte Consulting
• Dr. Ellen Morris, Professor at Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs; President and Founder of Sustainable Energy Solutions
• Dr. Minoru Takada, Representative and Director, Sustainable Energy for All initiative New York office, Executive Office of the Secretary-General
• Dr. Kate Steel, Energy Sector Team Lead, USAID Power Africa

Registration is required for in-person attendance. This event is open to press. 

It will also be livestreamed at: energypolicy.columbia.edu/watch. No registration is required to view the livestream. 

A podcast of this event (in addition to other past Center events) will be available ~3 to 5 days after the date of the event through iTunes or via our website.