Vice President Kamala Harris announced the Women in the Sustainable Economy (WISE) Initiative during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit in San Francisco. The initiative aims to strengthen women's economic empowerment globally and has received commitments exceeding $900 million from governments, private sector companies, foundations, and civil society [7301182c]. The funds will support women's economic participation in sectors such as clean energy, fisheries, recycling, forest management, and environmental conservation. The WISE Initiative aligns with the U.S. National Strategy on Gender Equity and Equality and represents a significant step towards fostering women's participation in the sustainable economy. Major players such as Amazon, CARE, Citi, LinkedIn, Mastercard Impact Fund, PepsiCo, Reckitt, Unilever, and the Visa Foundation have committed substantial financial resources to promoting women's economic empowerment. Vice President Harris emphasized the importance of empowering women economically and promoting global prosperity during her conversations at the APEC Summit [6a158f3c].
Jennifer Harris, an expert in economics and international relations, has rejoined the Hewlett Foundation as the director of its Economy and Society Initiative. She will oversee a $20 million grantmaking budget and focus on fostering a 'new common sense' about how the economy works and its aims. Harris previously helped launch the initiative before joining the Biden administration, where she worked on various initiatives and policies as a Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director of International Economics. She will also join the BuildUS board and continue advising the fund. Brian Kettenring, who succeeded Harris, will transition to a senior fellow role [17767de2].
Philip Morris International's U.S. business has announced a partnership with the Women's Business Development Council (WBDC) in Connecticut, with a $5 million investment over five years. The investment will support the Women's Economic Empowerment Initiative (WEEI) to remove barriers for women entrepreneurs in Connecticut. The partnership aims to provide education, training, resources, and access to capital for women to achieve economic self-reliance. The WBDC has a 27-year track record of supporting women's empowerment and entrepreneurship in Connecticut. The investment from Philip Morris International will ensure the continuity of WBDC's services and support thousands of female entrepreneurs in the state. The partnership was announced during a press conference attended by Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont, U.S. Congressman Jim Himes, and other officials [e3f03870].
HACE, a Tech for Good company focused on changing child labor, has appointed Eric Solomons as chair of the board. Solomons, a financial industry veteran and former managing partner at RSM Manchester, will lead the board in overseeing the development of HACE's proprietary Child Labour Index. The company aims to provide a quantitative metric to report on child labor in real-time and facilitate engagement between asset managers, wealth managers, institutional investors, and organizations. Solomons will also support HACE's CEO, Eleanor Harry, in strategy development and business operations. HACE recently completed a £450,000 pre-seed funding round and is preparing to launch its Child Labour Index [d04b1969].
Melissa Boteach, vice president for Income Security and Child Care/Early Learning at National Women’s Law Center, spoke at Pomona College’s Women in Global Security (WIGS) Fellowship speaker series. She discussed economic security, systemic inequality issues in the childcare industry, and her experiences advocating for improving income security and childcare. Boteach emphasized the disparities related to income security and childcare, particularly for women of color. She also shared advice for students interested in pursuing careers in policy. The WIGS program, run by Tom Le, associate professor of politics at Pomona, offers research and networking opportunities to two fellows each year. This year's fellows, Ceci Wade and Hanah Park, expressed their appreciation for Boteach's talk and the program's support in their research and writing. Boteach's work at the National Women’s Law Center aligns with the program's mission to address systemic inequality issues faced by women in the professional world [7a077da4].
In other news, The James Beard Chef and Restaurant Awards were presented on June 10, recognizing female chefs and restaurants associated with women. Swiss lawmakers rejected a climate ruling in favor of female climate elders. The Met chief acknowledges the vast extent of violence against women. A Chechen woman livestreamed her attempted abduction by her family. Jill Ciment's memoir 'Half a Life' is questioned for its portrayal of a teenage affair. The Texas Supreme Court upholds the ban on abortions in medical emergencies. A Reform UK candidate apologizes for Hitler neutrality comments. A study highlights the need for change in the videogame industry to address workplace inequity. Naomi Campbell encourages young women to change their minds about having children. Lisa Goree becomes the first female leader of the Shinnecock Nation in centuries. K. A. Cobell releases a debut novel shedding light on the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women epidemic [740a0370].