WOMEN’S SOLIDARITY TO END POVERTY AND FIGHT CLIMATE CHANGE

March 8, 2023

10:00 a.m. ET | 9:00 a.m. CT | 4:00 p.m. CET | 8:30 p.m. IST

Poverty, climate change, and gender inequality are inextricably linked.

The COVID-19 pandemic turned back decades of progress in addressing extreme poverty. In 2020, global inequality rose for the first time in years, while the outlook for food security continues to be bleak. By 2030, nearly 600 million people will be living on less than $2.15 a day, according to World Bank estimates.

No country or community is immune to the reality of the climate crisis, but its impacts are deeply rooted in inequality. The world’s poorest people, who contribute the least to climate change, are the ones most affected. The climate crisis is impacting people’s livelihoods and the livability of their homes, leading to displacement. If left unchecked, climate change is estimated to push 130 million people into poverty within 10 years and could lead to the internal migration of over 200 million people by 2050.

And women bear the brunt of both crises.

Global poverty rates are higher for women. In 2021, 435 million women and girls were living in extreme poverty. During the height of the pandemic, women lost their livelihoods at a higher rate than men. They continue to bear a larger burden of unpaid care work. Persistent gender inequality continues to deny women’s agency and rights, devalue their work, control access to resources and assets, and foment gender-based violence. The climate crisis acts as a threat multiplier, exacerbating vulnerabilities.

Yet, women across the world and in every community are finding strength in solidarity and uncovering solutions for women, by women, that will turn the tide on this triple threat to the well-being of people and planet.

To mark International Women’s Day, Trickle Up held a panel discussing the power of women’s solidarity to fight back against extreme poverty, gender inequality, and climate change. Moderated by President Nathalie Laidler-Kylander, speakers considered solutions, rooted in community, to address these intersecting issues, and elevate the stories of women on the front lines.

A full recording of this event is now available.

Moderator:

 Nathalie Laidler-Kylander, President, Trickle Up

Panelists:

Olasimbo Sojinrin, Chief Operating Officer, Solar Sister

Louise Erskine. Chief of Staff and Gender & Climate Lead, International Center for Research on Women (ICRW)

Worknesh Mekonen Gonet, Country Director – Ethiopia, United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS)