Centering Women's Voices and Issues at COP 28

Today, leaders from across the world are in Dubai for this year's UN Climate Change Conference, COP 28. Climate change will impact us all, but its effects will be and have been felt by women and girls disproportionately.

When Cyclone Freddy hit Malawi in March, camps were set up for those who lost their homes. During that time, there were multiple reports of gender-based violence and sexual exploitation. A comprehensive global review has found extensive data revealing that during or after extreme weather events, there is a rise in gender-based violence, including domestic and intimate partner violence. As extreme weather events increase, women will be exposed to increased threats of violence and abuse. And the United Nations has estimated that women make up 80 percent of people displaced by climate change.

But it’s not just extreme weather events that put women and girls in precarious situations. Climate change is a threat multiplier, meaning it aggravates gender-based violence while simultaneously curtailing the availability and effectiveness of protection mechanisms. And it is already having an impact on natural resources, especially in areas where women bear a disproportionate responsibility for securing food, water, and fuel. For example, women will have to work harder to feed and provide for their families when climate change kills crops, dries wells, and sets fire to sources of wood. Girls may be required to forgo their education to help their mothers with these tasks. And of course, these risks are only exacerbated for women and girls of color.

That’s why it is important that women and girls are at the forefront of any decisions on the future of our planet. I am honored to be a part of Project Dandelion , a women-led global initiative to fight climate change founded by Mary Robinson, the former President of Ireland. Studies have proven that when women and girls are at the decision-making table, better resource governance and conservation outcomes result. And research has also shown that women think more collectively rather than individualistically, making decisions that better support the public good.?

At last year’s COP 27 summit, women comprised less than 34% of the negotiating teams. I have long been an advocate for ensuring women have a seat at the table when decisions are being made. Climate change is a generational global problem that disproportionately impacts women and girls. It is imperative that the leaders of COP 28 include women and keep women's issues and voices at the forefront.?