Women Leaders from Pacific Participate in U.S. Program on Climate Change
Media Note
Office of the Spokesperson
Washington, DC
August 16, 2013
From August 18 – 28, 2013, twelve women climate leaders from across the Pacific region will visit Washington, D.C.,
Pensacola, Florida, and Honolulu, Hawaii to meet with policymakers, scientists, and innovators to share their
experiences and to learn about U.S. efforts to combat climate change. This exchange, a joint initiative of the
Secretary's Office of Global Women's Issues and Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, advances the Rarotonga
Partnership for the Advancement of Pacific Island Women and broader U.S. efforts to support the critical role of women
around the world in combating climate change. It also builds on a 2012 International Visitors Leadership Program of
women climate leaders.
In Washington, the group will meet with senior officials from the Department of State, the Environmental Protection
Agency, and the Department of Energy; participate in a roundtable discussion with non-governmental organizations and a
panel with World Bank experts on climate change; and receive training in social media at George Washington University.
In Pensacola and Honolulu, the participants will engage in a series of meetings and site visits to learn more about
topics related to climate change, ranging from disaster risk management and emergency operations to environmental
conservation to innovative renewable energy technologies. In Pensacola, the participants will learn more about life in
the United States by engaging with local residents during home hospitality visits.
Representing the Cook Islands, Fiji, Micronesia, Nauru, New Zealand, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon
Islands, and Vanuatu, these climate leaders will share practical skills and ideas learned with counterparts upon
returning home.
ENDS