We’re living in a precarious era, one defined in the last half decade by a polycrisis of three Cs: COVID, climate, and conflict. And much of the worst elements of these crises have been exacerbated by poor leadership.

As the global climate gets increasingly worse, it’s worth noting that international climate conferences are dominated by men, like the UN COP conferences, where the heads of state of almost 200 countries are signatories to consequential treaties — and the number of them that are women are in the single digits.

And, as noted by Margot Wallström, Sweden’s former Minister of Foreign Affairs, 130 international peace agreements were signed between 1990 and 2014, and women were signatories to just 13.

Meanwhile, the most compelling leadership in the handling of all of these crises has come from women: New Zealand’s Jacinda Ardern won much praise throughout the world for her handling of the COVID emergency in her country. And women leadership in the climate space has been led by Barbadian Prime Minister Mia Mottley and former President of Ireland Mary Robinson.

In honor of Women's History Month and International Women's Day, this episode of the Samuel Lawrence Foundation’s “First Fridays” highlights a panel of women leaders who have answers on how to move forward in a new way, with an emphasis on empowering, sensible solutions.

Watch now to hear from panelists who have a focus on educating the next generation of women and finding sustainable solutions for our economy, society, environment, and planet.

Aired: March 1, 2024