This opportunities-framing white paper offers guidance for those considering funding or designing interventions targeting women climate entrepreneurs and WSME-responsive climate initiatives by addressing the following questions: Why is it important to focus on women climate entrepreneurs? Where are areas of opportunity for women climate entrepreneurs and implementing partner support? Where are the challenges? What actions, initiatives, and efforts are happening now? Who is active at the gender, climate, and gender-climate nexus?
The paper highlights the huge potential for women climate entrepreneurs, outlines recommended actions for project or program design to support women-led climate businesses, and underscores the urgent need for collaborative efforts at the intersection of climate change and women’s entrepreneurship. Ramping up an integrated focus on WSMEs and climate is critical, as less than 1% of climate-related official development assistance (ODA) from governments targets gender equality as a primary objective, according to OECD data.
We-Fi aims to support the nexus of climate and women’s entrepreneurship by addressing two main areas in the climate space:
- Boosting the prospects for women innovators and leaders of climate businesses who will drive green and blue transitions.
- Building the climate resilience of women-led small and medium enterprises (WSMEs) across all sectors.
