Recognition, Power and Access: Unlocking Women-Led Climate Mobility Solutions in Africa

The dialogue brought together speakers from the African Union Commission, the African Group of Negotiators, climate finance expert, and created interest over 80 participants from government, non-government, international, academia and research institutions. 

The policy brief titled “Recognition, Power and Access: Unlocking Women-Led Climate Mobility Solutions in Africa’’, gathered realties of women across the continent, involved grass root climate response practitioners and indigenous groups to capture evidence and learn from lived experiences to assess the remaining gaps and recommend the best approach. Women and community-rooted actors are leading responses to climate mobility and immobility across   Africa. Both officially published data and lived experiences agree that women, as key stakeholders contributing to early warning, shouldering the risk of climate change events, and leading adaptation strategies, are under-recognized and that resources for their engagement are poor. 

The paper highlights three pillars to bridge these gaps: Recognition: ensure that women’s realities are captured in loss and damage assessments, NAPs, and adaptation metrics. Power: meaningfully include women-led organizations in climate decision making processes. Access: ensure that climate finance and other forms of capital reach women and indigenous groups affected by or responding to climate induced mobility/immobility. 

The regional representatives reacted by stating that in Africa there are existing frameworks to integrate women’s realities, however, they remain inadequate. In addition, translation into implementation plans remains limited. Women’s mobility, displacement, planned relocation and the realities of those who remain behind needs to be integrated into NDCs, National Adaptation Plans, loss and damage responses and adaptation planning. Another dimension stressed was that climate finance needs further unpacking. A financial expert highlighted to explore more innovative domestic capital mobilization instruments to support scaling and sustainability.

Overall, the room echoed climate action plans should not be about who benefits, but rather about responding to the needs and realities of those affected.

Please refer the link to read the full Policy Brief “Recognition, Power and Access: Unlocking Women-Led Climate Mobility Solutions in Africa”.