On Gender Day at Africa Climate Week in Addis Ababa, women called for just access to financing and support for local solutions—from regenerative agriculture to clean energy—as the key to linking climate justice with women’s rights
By Leandro Molina / COP30 Brasil
In the halls of Africa Climate Week in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, there is no shortage of stories showing how climate change impacts women’s daily lives across the continent. While leaders discuss mitigation and adaptation strategies, millions of African women still spend hours each day fetching water or firewood, tasks that become more difficult amid environmental degradation.
The mission of valuing African women’s leadership, pushing forward tangible political proposals, and placing feminist demands at the center of the African Climate Summit declaration and COP30 outcomes was the focus of Gender Day at Africa Climate Week, which underscored the leadership of African women and feminist movements in the climate justice debate.
In Sub-Saharan African countries with available data, women and girls spend many hours a day collecting water, according to the Women’s Environment Programme (WEP). This burden shows how lack of access to clean water disproportionately affects them, taking away time that could be devoted to education, paid work, entrepreneurship, and political participation. The disparity is compounded by the fact that women spend up to five times more hours than men on unpaid labor—3.1 times more in Sub-Saharan Africa, and 4.9 times more in North Africa and Western Asia.
Energy exclusion is another critical factor. Six hundred million Africans still live without electricity. This shortfall falls particularly on women, who are tied to manual tasks and prevented from fully participating in economic and political life. Many also cook with firewood or charcoal in rudimentary indoor stoves, exposing them to serious respiratory illnesses from inhaling toxic smoke, as well as burns, while demanding long hours spent collecting wood—physical effort that further limits study and work opportunities.
The meeting highlighted that although Africa contributes less than 4% of global greenhouse gas emissions, the continent faces severe impacts of global warming, including prolonged droughts, water scarcity, forest degradation, and growing food insecurity. Women, who play a key role in managing natural resources and sustaining communities, are the most affected, facing risks of violence and limited access to essential care.
Gender Day reinforced that women’s participation is both a matter of justice and efficiency. African women are leaders, innovators, and holders of traditional knowledge vital for climate adaptation and mitigation. In many communities, they lead regenerative agriculture practices, solar energy projects, and forest conservation initiatives, showing that the fight against the climate crisis can also be a path to empowerment.
African communities already practice adaptation strategies and sustainable use of resources, which can serve as a global model, according to studies by the Programme. However, there is a critical funding gap. It is estimated that the continent needs around USD 250 billion annually for adaptation and mitigation, but receives only a fraction of that amount, while the global commitment of USD 100 billion has not yet been fully met.
Among the solutions discussed, the promotion of gender equity in all climate policies and programs stood out, ensuring that women are not only beneficiaries but also leaders in implementing strategies. Training in green technologies, access to climate education, and support for local initiatives were identified as essential to strengthen community resilience. Mobilizing the continent’s renewable resources without reliance on imports and building indigenous capacity were also highlighted.
Ms. Doris Mpoumou of Senegal, the Special Representative of UN Women to the AU and the UN Economic Commission for Africa, discussed the complex challenges that African women face in the context of the climate crisis, as well as the solutions necessary to strengthen their participation and leadership. She explained that the impacts of natural disasters affect men and women differently, which is why climate policies and decisions must integrate the recommendations of women themselves.
Ms. Mpoumou emphasized the need to simplify and increase accessibility in financing mechanisms, pointing out that access to resources is currently extremely difficult for African organizations working on climate adaptation. “It is crucial to ensure that financing mechanisms are accountable and truly meet the needs of communities,” she said, stressing that adequate resources are essential to implement effective and sustainable solutions.
The Senegalese representative also reiterated the importance of including African and Afro-descendant women at every stage of decision-making, from drafting documents to implementing policies, so that climate responses reflect their realities.
The data presented show that inequality remains evident in decision-making spaces. A survey by the Gender and Environment Data Alliance (GEDA) revealed that, at COP29, only 32% of African delegates were women. Furthermore, in 53 of the 54 delegations from the continent, men constituted the majority. Additionally, only four of the 54 African countries publish gender-disaggregated data on pollution- or disaster-related mortality.
Ms. Priscilla Achakapa, President of the Women’s Environment Programme, assessed the challenges faced by African women in the climate crisis and the innovative solutions being implemented. According to Ms. Achakapa, African women are disproportionately affected by forced displacement, environmental degradation, and the scarcity of basic resources such as water and firewood, often forced to travel long distances to meet their communities' daily needs.
To confront these challenges, African women have adopted innovative solutions such as aquaponics systems, regenerative agriculture, and clean energy projects, helping to mitigate the impacts of climate change. However, Achakapa also stressed that the lack of financing remains a critical obstacle. Many organizations and communities lack sufficient resources to implement these solutions or participate in international negotiations, limiting women’s representation in global climate decisions.
The president of the program underscored the importance of international cooperation, noting that Africa’s adaptation experiences share similarities with initiatives in Latin America and other regions. “Strategic plans for the next decade must include the active presence of African women in negotiations, not just as consultative voices but as leaders in policy-making and thematic solutions,” she argued.
The meeting also addressed the importance of integrating a gender perspective in international negotiations, such as COP30, ensuring that global decisions reflect the experience and leadership of African women. COP30 President, Ambassador André Corrêa do Lago, who took part in the discussions, said that gender issues entered climate negotiations late, but must now hold a prominent place. “At COP30, the gender agenda is present in all negotiations and actions, recognizing that women are responsible for a large share of innovative solutions to confront the climate crisis and embody resilience in the face of environmental challenges,” he said.
Ms. Ana Toni, COP30 CEO, reinforced the importance of the meeting, highlighting the energy and collaboration between African women and Afro-Brazilian women. According to her, the interaction among these leaders inspires concrete actions for COP30, reinforcing that the Conference must be people-centered, especially on women, who are on the front line of climate vulnerability while also acting daily as agents of change in their communities.
The expectation for COP30, to be held in Belém, Brasil, is for a turning point in how the world implements its promises. African women see it as an opportunity to put into practice solutions that unite climate justice with gender justice. The consensus is that Africa does not want to merely react to the crisis; the continent wants to lead the debate and show that development and equality can go hand in hand.
The event was organized by the African Women and Gender Constituency (Africa-WGC), which brings together more than 140 organizations across the continent, aiming to amplify the voices of African women, feminists, and gender equality organizations in climate processes linked to the UNFCCC. Partners also included Akina Mama wa Afrika, the Ethiopian Women and Children’s Union, the Women’s Environment Programme, Women for Change (Cameroon), and UN Women.
