Women with disabilities
The Inclusive Climate Change Adaptation for a Sustainable Africa (ICCASA) and the Centre for Minority Rights Development (CEMIRIDE) will on September 18 and 19 host a workshop in Nairobi to establish an Alliance of Women with Disabilities in Climate Change Action in Africa.
The two-day workshop will bring together women with disabilities, policymakers, climate experts, and advocacy organizations from across Africa to strategize them on ways to amplify the participation of women with disabilities in climate change adaptation and mitigation efforts.
The workshop is part of the ‘Strengthening the Voices of Women with Disabilities to Actively Participate in Climate Change Policy and Negotiations’ (STREVOW) project, that aims at empowering women with disabilities in East Africa and small Island developing states to actively participate in climate change policy and negotiations.
STREVOW Project Communications Officer Faith Gikunda said the workshop marks a transformative moment to establish a continental Alliance of Women with Disabilities to ensure their voices are included in shaping inclusive climate solutions across Africa.
“The disproportionate vulnerabilities faced by women with disabilities, exacerbated by the intersections of gender, disability, and socioeconomic inequalities, often go unaddressed in climate action dialogues and policymaking,” said Gikunda.
She said climate change is one of the most pressing global challenges, impacting communities worldwide and that the event would ensure the voices of women with disabilities are included in shaping inclusive climate solutions across Africa.”We are committed to amplifying the voices of women with disabilities, ensuring that they have the right tools, knowledge and information to be part of climate change programs designing and implementation,” she said.
She said some of the key highlights would be discussions on integrating disability inclusion into national and regional climate change frameworks and sharing lived experiences and leadership strategies from with disabilities across Africa. The event will also see the launch of the formal Alliance of Women with Disabilities in Climate Change Action in Africa.
Funded by the Africa Climate Change Fund (ACCF) of the African Development Bank (AFDB), the STREVOW project is engaging women with disabilities from several countries, including Burundi, Comoros, Ethiopia, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Rwanda, Tanzania, South Sudan, Seychelles, and Uganda.