Climate change affects women and girls in specific ways, and we urgently need a more gender-sensitive response to climate-related disasters.
This was the message Islamic Relief took to the 2024 Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) – the largest annual gathering on gender equality and women’s empowerment, bringing together governments, civil society, experts and activists from all over the world. Established in 1946, the 68th session was recently held over 2 weeks in New York.
Islamic Relief participated and advocated throughout CSW, including by organising 2 panel events with a range of powerful speakers on why women and girls need to be at the heart of climate policies. Here’s a closer look at the 2 events:
From rhetoric to reality
In partnership with Pakistan’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations, Islamic Relief organised From Rhetoric to Reality in Building Climate Resilience: Adaptation and Loss and Damage – a high level event featuring expert speakers from UNICEF, the International Partnership on Religion and Sustainable Development (PaRD) and Save the Children.
In the keynote speech, Ambassador Munir Akram, Pakistan’s Permanent Representative, outlined Pakistan’s vulnerability to climate change despite its minimal contribution to global greenhouse gas emissions. He described the devastation of the 2022 flooding in the country, saying: “One third of our country was underwater.” The ambassador emphasised the need for robust international support and strategic resilience planning, and highlighted that women and girls are often most affected by climate-related disasters.
Hiba Sidiqi of Islamic Relief Pakistan said that in the Pakistan floods, “many women in the worst-affected areas came from extreme poverty and had very limited education, literacy and contact with decision-makers in their communities or in government.”
She highlighted that Islamic Relief assessments found multiple challenges specific to women, such as a lack of privacy in the camps and risks of sexual violence, lack of identification cards and land rights, and a shortage of menstrual hygiene products – which forces women to “resort to using alternatives from scraps of cloth, which often leads to infections and illnesses and can have a big psychological impact on adolescent girls.”
Gautam Narasimhan of UNICEF called for greater child-focused climate action: “We know that reducing emissions is critical, and we also know… even if we turned off global emissions tomorrow, the impacts of climate change will worsen in the coming decades. So when we speak about the impacts of the climate crisis it’s the impact on children, and on girls, that we need to focus on. The costs are being borne by the people who did the least to cause the crisis.”
Faith-based organisations have a critical role to play in addressing climate challenges. Anwar Khan, President of Islamic Relief USA, told the room: “Islamic Relief’s work, inspired by Islamic teachings on justice and stewardship of the earth, emphasises the importance of community-led resilience and the need for sustainable development that includes all stakeholders. We are working with faith leaders and community organisations to say that it is our job to be custodians of the earth.”
Andrea Kaufman of World Vision, representing PaRD also advocated for greater inclusion of faith-based initiatives in efforts to improve climate resilience. “Climate justice is essential, seeking wholeness for people and the planet,” she remarked.
Raza Qazi of Save the Children highlighted the heightened risks children face in post-disaster situations, stressing how important it is to prioritise their education and health in climate resilience strategies.
Empowering women for climate resilience
We also organised another panel discussion in partnership with the International Rescue Committee (IRC), Save the Children Pakistan, and UNICEF. In a packed-out room at the UN Church Center, the event – Empowering Women for Climate Resilience in Pakistan: A Gender-Inclusive Approach Including Loss and Damage – highlighted several key points, including the urgent need for hard gender-sensitive data, innovative partnerships, targeted programming, and a reimagined funding landscape.
Mousumi Saikia of Islamic Relief moderated the discussion, noting: “Enhancing women’s involvement in climate initiatives and making sure our approaches take gender into account is not just about making policies; it’s about social justice, fairness, sustainability, and creating a stronger future. Seeing women as key leaders, not just contributors, is important if we’re all going to succeed together.”
Camille Andre of IRC explained, “The climate crisis, like every crisis, affects women and girls uniquely, increasing their vulnerability to violence.” She stressed the importance of targeted investments in solutions that address these specific impacts and elevate women and girls as central figures in developing these solutions: “We must purposefully invest in empowering women and girls as leaders in the response to climate change, or they will continue to be the most affected.”
Hiba Sidiqui from Islamic Relief Pakistan highlighted the critical gap in data on how climate change impacts women and girls: “Our current data nearly overlooks the unique experiences of women and girls, weakening their role and agency in climate action.” She emphasised that generalised approaches often neglect the specific needs and vulnerabilities of women and girls. “For effective climate resilience and adaptation, it’s essential to include women equitably in discussions, planning, and actions. Strong, gender-focused data is crucial for amplifying their voices and ensuring their leadership is integral to our strategies.”
Austin Chu from UNICEF USA underlined that policymakers need to focus on child-centric approaches: “Children, as the inheritors of our planet, must have a voice in the policies and actions that shape their future. This involves creating avenues for their meaningful participation in decision-making processes, ensuring that their perspectives and needs are at the forefront of climate resilience efforts.”
Raza Qazi from Save the Children echoed this, stating that, “Children need to be integrated into policies and their voices considered in policy-making processes.”
With the threat of climate change so enormous, the panel also agreed that strong partnerships and coalitions are needed – especially highlighting the need for more interfaith collaboration and alliances with faith-based, women-led and women’s rights organisations.
