Masdar enables women to spearhead sustainable change

Masdar has announced that 23 graduates successfully completed its annual Women in Sustainability, Environment, and Renewable Energy (WiSER) Pioneers Programme, which empowers women aged 25 to 35 to lead sustainable change in their communities and careers.

Now in its fourth year, more than 70 young women representing 17 nationalities have graduated from the WiSER Pioneers Programme, including this year’s 23 graduates, all of whom successfully completed more than 20 hours of educational and skills-training workshops and over 100 hours of one-on-one mentorship sessions.

The programme is part of Masdar’s broader WiSER initiative, which was launched in 2015 on the sidelines of the 70th UN General Assembly to inspire women and girls to play a more active, coequal role in the global energy transition, in line with both the United Arab Emirates’ strategic net-zero initiative and the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.

Dr. Lamya Fawwaz, Masdar Executive Director of Brand & Strategic Initiatives, and WiSER Programme Director, said, "By training, upskilling and creating mentorship opportunities for talented young women, the WiSER Pioneers Programme empowers future generations of women to become sustainability leaders in their communities, workplaces and around the world, which is critical to meeting the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals."

WiSER Advisory Council Member, Co-Chair of UN-Energy, and CEO and Special Representative of the UN Secretary General for Sustainable Energy for All, Damilola Ogunbiyi, said, "Through my involvement with WiSER, I am proud to play a part in empowering women to become leaders in our sustainable energy future and I look forward to the positive impact these graduates will make."

WiSER Pioneer, Farah Al Sayegh, said, "The WiSER Pioneers Programme gave me the opportunity to learn directly from world-class experts, industry leaders, innovators and change-makers, fostering the real-world experience and robust global network I will need to make a meaningful difference."

WAM