COP28 is well underway, with world leaders gathering in Dubai to discuss their plans to deal with climate change. In previous years, the conference has been a male-dominated affair – despite the evidence that women are disproportionately impacted by climate change. Shabnam Baloch, the International Rescue Committee's Country Director for Pakistan, is hoping to change that.
This year, she's attending COP28 to advocate for the communities hardest hit by the climate crisis, as well as highlighting the critical role of women leaders in driving climate progress. Here, she pens an exclusive essay for GLAMOUR about why women's leadership is vital for building climate resilience…
Following the catastrophic flooding which devastated much of Pakistan in the summer of 2022, 35-year-old Lakshmi recalled how her home and village were destroyed. As her community struggled to rebuild after the climate shock – including ensuring access to clean water and sanitation – she noticed how the women of her community faced very different challenges: from a lack of menstrual products to a heightened risk of violence. “We would always worry about young girls and women going to the fields by themselves to find a private space to relieve themselves,” she remembers.
As the first female Country Director for the International Rescue Committee (IRC) in Pakistan, I have seen first-hand how extreme weather widens existing gender inequalities and poses unique threats to women's health, livelihoods, and safety. This comes as a growing climate justice movement – led by youth, women, and activists from across the Global South – is seeking acknowledgement that those who have contributed the least to climate change are suffering the worst of its effects.
Studies show that women and children are 14 times more likely to be killed by a disaster. As climate change is increasing the frequency and severity of natural disasters, the gap in addressing the needs of women and girls when we respond and adapt to climate emergencies is becoming more apparent, and more urgent.
“When a climate shock hits, many families tend to feed women and girls last. And pull them out of school first.”
Economically, women are much more likely to depend on livelihoods that are most threatened by climate change. In many areas of the world, women make up the majority of smallholder farmers – so when crops fail from droughts or floods, they have fewer resources to feed and care for their families. Furthermore, when a climate shock hits, many families tend to feed women and girls last and pull them out of school first. This spiral of crises tragically also means that gender-based violence becomes a greater risk as poverty increases. The IRC saw first-hand a dramatic increase in child marriage in Bangladesh in areas that were highly disaster-prone and climate-vulnerable.
One IRC study revealed a 39% surge in child marriage after climate-induced disasters.
In my home country of Pakistan, the 2022 floods destroyed nearly 10 million acres of land and left over 71% of households food insecure. For women and girls like Lakshmi, this was even more catastrophic. Homes were destroyed, leaving many women vulnerable to exploitation. Collecting water, which is traditionally a woman’s job, required travelling further from home, increasing the risk of assault. Last summer, I travelled to the disaster-affected communities and through conversations with the women affected, we were able to help by providing 172 safe spaces for women and children in over 20 of the most flood-impacted areas.
Perhaps most devastatingly, many countries that are most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change are also experiencing war and conflict – a merging of crises with women and girls bearing the double burden. It is often female leaders, from government level to local organisations, that know the most about protecting their communities and what they need to avert disaster. But too often, a lack of female leadership and funding to women-led organisations excludes this representation and means climate action doesn’t really address how the climate crisis is impacting women and girls.
Currently, less than one third of all funding for climate adaptation goes to these countries, and there’s even less funding accessible to women’s rights and women-led organisations working toward gender-just climate solutions. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs has reported that only 3.5% of their funding specifically went to women's rights organisations. Investing in women's education, health, and economic empowerment not only narrows gender inequalities, it is proven to build resilience, especially to climate disasters.
“Climate justice and gender equality are intertwined; one cannot be achieved without the other.”
I will be attending this year’s COP28 summit – the annual meeting between countries held by the UN to agree policies to address climate change – where last year, only 34% of countries’ negotiating teams were made up of women. It's clear that to break this vicious cycle, we need women's leadership and inclusion – of course in elite spaces like COP28, but also at all levels of climate action.
From the young female activists holding our leaders to account, to the women leading their communities on the front lines, we need gender expertise shaping decisions and policies. In particular, incorporating the voices of women from the Global South is essential to ensure that climate action addresses gender inequalities in climate-vulnerable – and often conflict-affected – regions of the world. Inclusivity isn’t only about a seat at the table though. Funding, partnership and elevating women-led organisations in these countries, often at the forefront of climate resilience and humanitarian work is essential.
Women and girls both in Pakistan – and across the most climate-vulnerable places in the world – are counting on COP28 to meet the urgent needs of the moment. Climate justice and gender equality are intertwined; one cannot be achieved without the other. By putting women and girls at the heart of climate action, we will provide an opportunity to address both.
“We need to ensure that our voices are heard.”
