Finance underpins our ambition for inclusive and gender-responsive climate action. To better address climate impacts and strengthen the resilience of countries and communities, we need to make climate finance more accessible, available, impactful and efficient. We also need to ensure that climate finance advances equality and social inclusion, recognising that this forms an essential part of achieving our wider climate objectives on both mitigation and adaptation.

While women and girls are disproportionately and differentially impacted by climate change, they are also critical leaders in addressing the challenges that climate change poses. They play an important role in promoting climate smart food production and enhancing food and nutrition security. Local civil society organisations, such as those led by women and girls, often have considerable experience with adapting and responding to climate change, but continue to face significant barriers in accessing climate finance and engaging in climate finance processes.

Co-hosted by the United Kingdom and Republic of Maldives, this side-event will shine a light on the important issue of gender equality within climate finance. It will be chaired by Rt Hon Anne-Marie Trevelyan MP, UK International Champion on Adaptation & Resilience for COP26 & Minister for Business, Energy & Clean Growth, who will be joined by H.E. Ms. Zaha Waheed, Minister of Fisheries, Marine Resources and Agriculture, Republic of Maldives. The panel will also bring together local and national civil society actors, MDBs and finance experts to highlight the importance of climate finance that advances gender equality, mechanisms for addressing the barriers that women-led civil societies face when trying to access climate finance, and to share emerging best practice.

Panellists:

Angelique Pouponneau - Chief Executive Officer of the Seychelles’ Conservation and Climate Adaptation Trust

Esther Dassanou - Coordinator of Affirmative Finance Action for Women in Africa (AFAWA), African Development Bank

Maite Smet - Coordinator of the Global Alliance for Green and Gender Action (GAGGA), a consortium led by the Fondo Centroamericano de Mujeres (FCAM).

Suzanne Biegel - Founder of Catalyst at Large and Co-Founder, GenderSmart