The International Centre for Biosaline Agriculture (ICBA) announced the launch of the Women Alliance for Climate Action in Agriculture (WACAA) on COP28’s Gender Day.

 

Led by Razan Khalifa Al Mubarak, UN Climate Change High-Level Champion for COP28 and Chair of ICBA’s Board of Directors, the official high-level ceremony at the UAE Pavilion, Blue Zone, in Expo City Dubai was attended by Mariam bint Mohammed Almheiri, UAE Minister of Climate Change and Environment.

 

Recognising the pivotal role of women in agriculture in developing countries, WACAA aims to enable and increase their contributions to climate action in the sector. In particular, the initiative is designed to provide women in agriculture with more opportunities, skills, and resources by mobilising efforts and partners to address gender issues at various levels.

 

A range of constraints

Almheiri said: “While women make up, on average, 43% of the global agricultural labour force, they face a range of constraints when it comes to access to skills, inputs and resources and have little say in decision-making. However, this gender inequality does not affect women only; it has social and economic costs. By tackling the gender gap and empowering women, we can reduce hunger, boost economic growth, and enhance climate resilience. So, we are delighted to see that WACAA has set itself an ambitious goal of supporting women in agriculture and driving women-led climate action globally.”

 

Al Mubarak said: “The purpose of WACAA is clear, it is compelling. It is to unite women leaders, scientists, policymakers, researchers, farmers, and organisations who are dedicated to addressing gender inequalities and mitigating the impacts of climate change in agriculture.”

 

Dr Tarifa Alzaabi, Director General of ICBA, said: “WACAA is aligned with ICBA’s goal of putting women engagement at the center of sustainable agricultural development, food security, and climate action. It builds on our mission to develop women’s capacities to make agrifood systems more resilient and sustainable in the face of climate change. We invite all organisations and partners working towards gender equality to join us in our collective effort.”

 

WACAA aims to bring together women leaders, scientists, policymakers, and other stakeholders to design and promote gender-responsive policies, measures, programmes and incentives. It will also serve as a platform to advocate for gender equality and exchange best practices and insights on women’s engagement in science, innovation, and agriculture. 

 

New opportunities

More importantly, it will create new opportunities for women to contribute to policy- and decision-making to enhance their resilience to the impacts of climate change in agriculture.

 

WACAA’s goal is to reach 1 million women globally by 2050, from farmers to scientists to agripreneurs, through four main pillars: capacity development and knowledge transfer; financial mobilisation; policy and advocacy; and networking and collaboration. Interested organisations are invited to join the initiative by endorsing a pledge to support women in agriculture through their contributions to the four pillars.-- TradeArabia News Service