Remarks
Manisha Singh
Acting Under Secretary for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment
U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation
Washington, DC
March 7, 2019
As we gather to celebrate International Women’s Day and Women’s History Month, I am honored to be here with so many business leaders and champions of women’s economic empowerment.
In line with this year’s theme, “The Equality Opportunity” I want to set our sights on some bold endeavors:
- What if we could increase labor productivity by 25 percent?
- What if we could recover 19 percent of income lost to low labor force participation in South Asia?
- How about increasing global GDP by $28 trillion by 2025?
And how can do these things? By investing in women! Looking at those numbers, we can’t afford not to do so!
The Equality Opportunity is literally a $28 trillion question, and what a perfect moment in time it is to seize that opportunity!
Empowering women to participate and lead in the private sector – and in government as well — allows us to tap into an enormous pool of talent that benefits our enterprises and societies as a whole.
Businesses around the world face obstacles when expanding to global markets and into key sectors– this is especially true for female-led businesses. This is where challenge meets opportunity meet.