Mana Omar is a climate scientist by profession, a climate justice/gender advocate for the indigenous pastoralist communities of Kenya and the Founder and CEO of Spring of the arid and semi-arid lands (SASAL). Mana is also a youth leader with the UN Women Feminist Action for Climate Justice Action Coalition, lead of Fridays For Future Kajiado and Refugees for Future Kenya. She is a member of Fridays For Future MAPA (Most Affected Peoples and Areas).
The Feminist Climate Fund of the RAJA-Danièle Marcovici Foundation enabled her to attend the Women Deliver Conference in Rwanda.
The Women Deliver Conference is the world’s largest convening on gender equality and this round it happened on the African soil. To me, the conference was a really great space to shape narratives around gender equality. It yielded great outcomes for example the Kigali call to action, the women deliver emerging leaders programme etc.
However, I don’t feel like the inclusion of women most affected by gender inequalities was taken into account as most of the people who took up speaking slots are prominent and well-known figures. The barriers we see in every other conference were not dismantled.
The need to break silos and work together for gender equality irrespective of levels, status and location.
Gender inequalities are further aggravated by the impacts of climate change. The complexity and unpredictability of these impacts hence affect the progress towards gender equality as it demands for more holistic and intersectional approaches.
“As the global temperatures continue rising, so will the gender equality gap.”
To effectively promote gender equality, there is an urgent need to cut down on greenhouse gas emission and the transition to a low-carbon economy.
Women poses unique skills and experiences making them critical actors on climate action. Naturally, women being the bearers of lives puts them in a position where they put the interests of their children and others’ before theirs’ (selflessness). This makes them more considerate leaders and hence leading to the adoption and implementation of favorable policies needed for a safe and sustainable planet. Women-headed adaptation projects are also more likely to succeed and create more impact due to the nature of their leadership.
Young people have the energy and creativity needed to develop innovative and sustainable solutions meant to address challenges to gender equality. Combining these small initiatives from different places globally translates to a bigger impact and helps mobilize against gender inequalities.
Are you a female president or leader of an organization working towards ecological and social transition? Would you like to benefit from the Feminist Climate Fund grant to support your project? Visit the dedicated page on the website.
