Learning Laboratory: The Importance of Young Women Leadership for Adaptation Action

On International Women’s Day, GCA organized a Learning Laboratory to highlight the role of young women in leading adaptation action. This virtual event aimed to bring together young women leaders and experts to share their experiences and solutions for adapting to the impacts of climate change.

Event Description:

Young Women Leadership

Climate change is a pressing global challenge, and young women are at the forefront of its impacts. Girls and women are much more likely to suffer from extreme weather events. Gender inequality exacerbates the effects of climate change on education, with girls in vulnerable households often forced to drop out of school because of climate-related natural disasters.

Education is key to empowering girls and young women to take leadership roles. The effects of education on women’s empowerment not only amplify the impact of education on adaptive capacity but also contribute to reducing gender inequalities and addressing development gaps.

GCA’s Youth Leadership & Education Program cultivates the leadership of young women by enhancing their power as adaptation solutions multipliers in their communities. GCA centerpiece Online Executive Training – Young Women Leadership on Climate Adaptation provided training and education to 30 young African women on gender-sensitive climate adaptation, leadership capacity-building, project management coaching, and networking & career guidance.

GCA also promotes the economic empowerment of women through its annual competition and awards program for youth-led enterprises, the YouthADAPT Challenge. The 20 YouthADAPT winners from 13 African countries (50% young women) are leading highly innovative adaptation solutions, doubling production capacity and creating adaptation jobs.

Key Objectives

• To raise awareness about the importance of education for young women and girls’ empowerment in driving adaptation action.
• To catalyze women-led adaptation action by showcasing the leadership of young women, including the participants of the online Executive Training – Young Women Leadership on Climate Adaptation and the YouthADAPT 2022 Winners.
• To promote opportunities and recommendations to build young women’s leadership in the field of climate adaptation.

Format

This female-led Learning Laboratory included presentations, panel discussions, and breakout groups for interactive discussions. A Mentimeter poll gathered views on the challenges and needs of young women to engage in climate action globally. A short Q&A session closed the session.

On this occasion, GCA also launched the youth-tailored fact sheet on gender of GCA’s flagship reports State and Trends in Adaptation 2022 and 2021, presenting key adaptation information to a youth audience. The factsheet on gender is aimed at raising awareness of the gender aspects of adaptation and good practices of young women in adaptation action.