The Advisor acknowledged that women, girls, and those living with disabilities are most susceptible to the effects of climate change due to social, political, and economic inequalities that limit their autonomy and access to resources.She noted that climate change is increasingly impacting the amount, distribution, and conditions of unpaid care and domestic work that is disproportionately carried out by women and girls.
Hon. Chiggai said the inclusion of sex-disaggregated data within national censuses, administrative sources, labour force surveys and other relevant household surveys will help produce gender data on different aspects of the environment and climate change.
She called on Governments to invest in women during early warning systems plus in their economic empowerment, as a key catalyst for change.
She also stressed the need for provision of climate financing solutions that focus on women and girls through provision of clean energy, clean cooking, water and sanitation to effectively combat climate change.
Kenya hosted the first Africa Climate Summit in 2023, which argued that women and girls must be included in the conversations and decisions about climate response, mitigation, and action.
And on 21st September 2024, the President’s Advisor on Women’s Rights Hon. Chiggai Harriette added her voice during discussions on the topic ” Towards more inclusive COP29: Mainstreaming key gender equality and intersectionality considerations for achieving climate justice”.
She noted that the future of Africa lies in sharing sustainable solutions that represent the largest population in Africa – women and girls.