Highlights and images for 3 June 2022

Transformers: Women in Sustainability

This event featured: Karin Svensson, Chief Sustainability Officer, Volvo Group; Cookie Phirinyane, Acting Director for Marketing and Partnerships, Botswana Digital & Innovation Hub; Trista Patterson, Director of Gaming Sustainability, Microsoft Voices of Youth; and youth representative Selma Bichbich. It was moderated by Shereen Zorba, Head of the Global Secretariat, UN Science-Policy-Business Forum for the Environment.

Svensson presented on “Accelerating Value Chain Innovation and Doubling the Speed of Progress.” She addressed Volvo’s efforts towards sustainability, including on electric vehicles and a partnership to develop a charging network, replacement of materials to move towards fossil-free steel, and participation in the First Movers Coalition, which uses purchasing commitments to accelerate the deployment of near zero and net zero technological solutions. She highlighted the need for incentives, carbon pricing, scaling up solutions, and partnerships, to reach entire value chains and share the risk of innovation.

Drawing attention to the Glasgow Women’s Leadership Statement on Gender Equality and Climate Change, Zorba opened discussions on “Women in Green Tech: Smashing Glass Ceilings for the Planet.” Phirinyane, Patterson, and Svensson shared their personal stories, and discussed barriers for women and their experience in male-dominated sectors, the privilege of growing up unaware of gender barriers, and the importance of mentors and role models. Patterson drew attention to systemic bias against women in many sectors and trainings towards change. To fight inequalities, Phirinyane prioritized: access to education; access to funding; and a policy shift, both to address inequality and to include more women in policymaking.

Bichbich urged empowering youth to lead and turn their recommendations into real action and cautioned against excluding the Global South, adding that the youth “will be creating the new UN.”