Equal by 30 Anniversary – A Call for More Equality and Diversity in the Clean Energy Sector

The Honourable Seamus O’Regan, Canada’s Minister of Natural Resources, today marked the second anniversary of the Equal by 30 campaign, co-launched by the Governments of Canada and Sweden in May 2018.

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to evolve, the Government of Canada remains committed to building a clean energy future that strengthens the economy, creates good jobs and supports our natural resource sectors through this tough economic time.

Research shows that energy companies with diversity in leadership show higher profits, greater innovation and lower risk. Yet women represent just 23 percent of energy sector employees and 18 percent of energy executive roles. This is significantly lower than almost any other sector.

Equal by 30 is a campaign under the international Clean Energy Education and Empowerment (C3E) Initiative, a joint effort by the Clean Energy Ministerial and the International Energy Agency to advance gender equality in the energy sector. Signatories have committed to take concrete actions to close the gender gap by moving the dial on equal pay, equal leadership and equal opportunities by 2030.

Signatories to this global campaign include industry associations, companies, non-profit organizations, and governments worldwide. Canada and 11 other federal governments are signatories: Austria, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States.

The global energy sector has faced unprecedented and extensive impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic. Initiatives that work toward a more diverse and innovative future, such as Equal by 30, will be more important than ever as the sector looks to recover and move toward a prosperous and inclusive future.