9 March 2015: The first international symposium of the Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM) Clean Energy Education and Empowerment (C3E) initiative focused on the development of national programmes for advancing women’s leadership in clean energy.

As announced by the CEM on 9 March 2015, the ‘Women in Clean Energy’ symposium took place during the World Future Energy Summit in January 2015, as part of Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week (ADSW). The event was hosted under the umbrella of the Women in Sustainability, Environment, and Renewable Energy (WISER) Forum, launched in 2014 by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to showcase women’s contributions in the field of sustainability and intended as an annual event.

In addition, the C3E International Ambassadors Corps held its first meeting, and C3E Ambassadors participated in a panel discussion. During the meeting, the C3E Ambassadors discussed next steps for the initiative and strategies to advance women’s leadership and participation in clean energy, including through support to the development of national programmes in participating C3E countries.

C3E works to advance women’s leadership and gender equality in the clean energy sector by supporting skills development and professional networks. Launched by the CEM in 2010, C3E is led by the US Department of Energy (DOE), in partnership with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Energy Initiative. Each autumn, the US C3E annual awards programme recognizes eight mid-career women for their work in the field. Internationally, the initiative works through an Ambassadors Corps and an online community forum, called ‘C3Enet.’

The previous Women in Clean Energy symposium, which focused on clean energy in cities in the US, took place in September 2014, in Cambridge, US. The international C3E symposium was organized in Abu Dhabi, the UAE. [CEM Press Release] [CEM C3E Website] [ADSW Website] [US Department of Energy Press Release] [C3Enet Website]