USAID seeks information on how higher education institutions can address water, climate, and gender development challenges in Pakistan. The information could inform the scope of future USAID awards to U.S. universities. Responses to this Request for Information will inform the design of a potential $1.5 million Water, Climate, and Gender Activity (WCGA), subject to the availability of funds. This is not a request for proposal or application. American and Pakistani higher education institutions have the potential to be central actors in
advancing Pakistan’s climate resilience and gender equity. Challenges around water,
environment and climate change demand active involvement of diverse actors–especially
universities–to solve these challenges. The U.S. - Pakistan “Green Alliance” is a framework for
bilateral cooperation that enables both countries to jointly face the climate, environmental, and
economic needs of the present and future. This framework delivers partnerships on agriculture,
water, and clean energy.
Women and girls, in all their diversity, play a critical leadership role in addressing the climate
crisis. Globally, the relationship among women, girls, the environment, and their communities
makes women and girls uniquely poised to develop and contribute to locally relevant and
effective climate interventions reflective of the entire population. Further, the frequency and
intensity of extreme weather events and related disasters are exacerbated by the climate crisis,
which disproportionately affects women and girls.