This message is from the Global Women in Leadership group of the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. The organization is hosting its annual SAIS Global Women in Leadership Conference on April 21st in DC. The theme of the conference this year is Securing a Sustainable Future: Women as Leaders in a Changing Climate. Below is a description of the conference from the organizers. To register and review the full agenda, visit the event’s Facebook page.

The 2017 SAIS Global Women in Leadership Conference, Securing a Sustainable Future: Women as Leaders in a Changing Climate, will provide a forum to examine the critical intersection between gender and climate change. We will examine the asymmetric impact of environmental change on women worldwide, and we will discuss how societies can leverage women’s leadership to develop sustainable, adaptive solutions to climate-based challenges. The Conference will also explore the central role women play in financing and implementing solutions effectively across the globe. Women possess unique capacity to sustain our future in an uncertain world, and the 2017 Conference seeks to amplify women’s voices to advance sustainable growth amidst a backdrop of ecological change.

Women remain disproportionately vulnerable to the diverse economic, ecological, and political consequences of our changing climate. Across the globe, new environmental realities exacerbate agricultural, energy, health, and financial inequities that limit opportunities for women. Despite the emergence of resilient women leaders spearheading the search for sustainable growth, women still remain underrepresented in critical decision-making arenas. But if women’s economic and domestic roles leave them disproportionately exposed, then they possess the firsthand knowledge and insight into how we can approach climate change’s gravest effects. Consequently, the participation of women in local, national, and global problem-solving efforts will prove vital to the efficacy of our solutions.

The 2017 Global Women in Leadership Conference will establish a platform for leaders from the public, private, and non-profit sectors to propose adaptive solutions that will diminish the devastating causes and effects of climate change. Together, prominent practitioners and scholars will highlight the pioneering women who are blending technological, financial, and political strategies to prove that economic development need not come at the expense of our planet.