Despite the rise of anti-women's rights agendas and the decline of long-term gains, Mwanamke Fund remains unfazed and determined in its fight for feminist climate justice, for the health of our planet and the well-being of our communities in the Great Lakes region.
Indeed, the COP30 on climate was held from November 10 to 21, 2025 in Belém, Brazil, with the main objective of accelerating the implementation of the Paris Agreement. This crucial conference will focus in particular on the new national plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the realization of the new climate financing objective and the just transition. Its location in the Amazon will also highlight issues related to biodiversity and forest preservation.
The climate crisis is fueled by entrenched systems of exploitation, extraction and inequality that concentrate power and resources in the hands of a privileged minority. Women, girls and gender diverse people, particularly those who face multiple intersecting forms of discrimination in frontline communities, disproportionately bear the brunt of its impacts. Yet, they are systematically marginalized from spheres of power, with limited access to resources and decision-making spaces.
“It is a question of justice, but also a strategic imperative for effective climate action,” believes Mwanamke Fund.
Because climate change is not gender neutral. Its impacts exacerbate existing inequalities. Women and marginalized groups find themselves on the front lines of climate-related population displacement, food insecurity and loss of livelihoods.
Mwanamke Fund calls on Parties to adopt a transformative action plan for gender equality that, with adequate resources, promotes the rights of women and girls in all their diversity.
“The adoption of an ambitious GAP at COP30 will constitute a watershed moment in the global commitment to gender equality and the integrity of the UNFCCC as a platform for inclusive and rights-based multilateral climate governance,” says Ms. Véronique Bulaya (Director of Mwanamke Fund)
It is also urgent to call on the various middle-income countries, which are becoming major emitters of greenhouse gases, to take responsibility. The financial commitment made at COP29 has proven insufficient: it is essential that governments effectively assume the annual funding of $1.3 trillion until 2035. The Loss and Damage Fund must be made operational as a matter of urgency, guaranteeing priority access for affected communities. Transparent, equitable, accessible, and effective climate adaptation financing must target integrated, participatory, and community-based climate solutions, with a particular focus on valuing initiatives led by women.
Ultimately, Mwanamke Fund calls on world leaders to seize this crucial opportunity and reaffirm that “gender equality is not a marginal concern, but a central pillar of effective, inclusive and just climate action.”
Mwanamke Fund - Communication Officer
