Remarks by Under Secretary Marisa Lago at Women’s Empowerment Roundtable in Brussels, Belgium - March 20

Brussels, Belgium
March 20, 2024

As Prepared

Good afternoon, everyone. I’m thrilled to be in Brussels — for the second time in under a year — to discuss what more we can do to advance women’s leadership across the public and private sectors. 

This time, I’m in Brussels principally to represent the U.S. Department of Commerce at the first-ever International Atomic Energy Agency Nuclear Energy Summit. The 40 nations gathered here are promoting the role of nuclear energy in addressing one of this century’s most pressing challenges: climate change. Nuclear energy has immense, untapped potential to reduce the use of fossil fuels, strengthen energy security and boost economic development.   

But, currently, women are only about 20 percent of the world’s nuclear workforce, even though scientists like Marie Curie — a woman who especially inspires me — fundamentally transformed our understanding of radioactivity. Not only was she the first woman to ever win a Nobel Prize in 1903, but she’s also the only person to this day who’s received Nobel Prizes in two different sciences: physics and chemistry.  

To state the obvious, empowering women — and advancing diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility across our work — has long been a high priority. As for many of you, it’s personal for me. For decades, I’ve been dedicated to women’s empowerment, ever since I was a young lawyer looking to advance the role of women in the legal profession. And when I travel internationally, which I do near constantly, I make it a point to meet with local businesswomen whenever possible. So I’m especially appreciative that you’ve made time for this gathering. 

Earlier this month, we celebrated International Women’s Day across the world. I love this year’s theme: investing in women to accelerate progress.  

Women are essential to our collective prosperity — we bring fresh ideas and build stronger, more inclusive economies. If we want vibrant economies and societies, then women — half of the world’s population — must have the opportunities to lead and participate across all levels.  

At the U.S. Department of Commerce’s International Trade Administration, we specifically launched EMPOWER HER and the Global Diversity Export Initiative to double down on businesses led by women and other underserved communities.  

Since launching EMPOWER HER in May 2022 with AmChams across Europe, our teams have held more than 50 events — from creating mentorship programs to holding webinars to help new entrepreneurs better market their products and services.  

Also, thanks to our strong partnership with AmCham EU — thank you, Susan Danger — over 40 European AmChams and 130 companies have signed the EMPOWER HER declaration — committing 1) to increasing female representation in leadership positions, 2) to reducing gender pay gaps and 3) to investing in targeted leadership development programs.  

As for the Global Diversity Export Initiative, we just concluded a trade mission and conference last week that brought an impressive cohort of over 60 U.S. businesses — almost all of which are women-led — to Panama, Costa Rica and Colombia.  

And in December, we’re leading yet another GDEI trade mission with women-led businesses across several sectors — this time, to Saudi Arabia.  

But all of this is only the start. Across the United States, the European Union and the world, we must continue to invest in and champion women across all aspects of society. Communities thrive when women are fully integrated into the workforce. It’s not only the right thing to do, but it also makes good business sense — for sustainable, inclusive growth.  

As leaders across government and the private sector, we have the opportunity to break down barriers and uplift as many women and girls as possible across the globe.  

Thank you for joining us today. I very much look forward to your ideas and recommendations to harness the incredible potential of women.