Climate Crisis and Gender Equality: Emerging Security Risks in the Euro-Mediterranean Region
This policy study focuses on a critical and timely intersection – gender equality and climate change – and highlights the disproportionate impact of climate change on women, especially those living in climate-vulnerable rural areas.
This publication is the result of discussions held during the session “Climate Crisis and Gender Equality in the Euro-Mediterranean Region: Emerging Security Risks” at the High-Level Conference on Women for the Mediterranean, co-organised by the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) and the Commissioner for Gender Equality of the Republic of Cyprus on 30-31 May. The event brought together experts from the region to share insights, challenges and policy recommendations, highlighting the importance of empowering women in climate decision-making processes to effectively address these emerging risks.
Research shows that women’s leadership in climate action increases the effectiveness of policies, particularly in sectors such as agriculture, water management and renewable energy, where they are disproportionately affected by climate change. However, barriers such as limited access to finance and technology and under-representation in green sectors continue to hamper their potential to drive climate solutions.
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CONTENTS
FOREWORD
Senén Florensa, Executive President, European Institute of the Mediterranean (IEMed)
Stephen Borg, Deputy Secretary General of Social and Civil Affairs Division, Union for the Mediterranean (UfM)
Changing Realities of Women’s Vulnerabilities to Climate Change in MENA: Opportunities within Challenges
Noura Abdelwahab, Lead Gender Expert – IWMI, Egypt
Women and Climate Change in the Context of Regional Instability: Lebanon and Syria
Sarine Karajerjian, Arab Reform Initiative (ARI)
Women and Climate Displacement: A Call for Gender-Responsive Interventions
Manale Abou Dagher, Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs, Lebanese American University
Women and climate change in Southern Mediterranean: the need to end the “Vulnerability Olympics” Game
Zeina Moneer, Senior Environmental and Climate Policy Analyst and Senior Lecturer of Environmental Politics
Reporting on gender and climate change: a question of justice, equity, and efficiency
Suzanne Baaklini, Journalist, L’Orient le Jour, Lebanon
CONCLUSION
Gemma Aubarell, Director of the Culture, Gender and Civil Society Department, IEMed
Anna Dorangricchia, Programme Manager, Gender Equality, Social and Civil Affairs Division, UfM
The MedWE initiative, a collaboration between the European Institute of the Mediterranean (IEMed) and the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM), focuses on addressing pressing and emerging gender challenges.
Through conferences, research and policy publications, it works to implement practical strategies that promote women’s empowerment while facilitating inclusive dialogue to create sustainable societies.
Read its first Policy Study
The MedWE programa is a joint initiative
