During the outstanding Inaugural COP28 Business & Philanthropy Climate Forum in the Green Zone at COP28, themed ‘Making Sustainability the Growth Story of Our Time’ and hosted on 1-2 December 2023, I was delighted to participate as a discussant for a key roundtable titled ‘Applying a Gender Lens to Climate Action – The Role of Philanthropies’. The panel discussed the most promising solutions for supporting gender-smart responses to climate change for positive co-impact, and the role philanthropic organisations can play in offering related financial and non-financial services.
The discussion was led by Bathylle Missika, Head of Division – Networks, Partnerships and Gender, OECD Development Centre. It was an honour and a pleasure for me as Founder and President of the Arab International Women’s Forum to participate on the roundtable and to share my insights on championing women’s empowerment at the intersection of gender and climate issues. I convey my warm thanks to Badr Jafar, Chair of the Forum and COP28 Special Representative for Business and Philanthropy, for the kind invitation.
This session also launched a Call to Action for philanthropic organisations to apply a gender lens in their ongoing and future climate actions. I am proud to share that AIWF unequivocally joined the Forum’s Call to Action, a call for philanthropic organisations to step-up their gender-sensitive climate actions as a follow-up of the communiqué philanthropies signed at the New Global Financing Pact Summit in Paris in June 2023. Even though the pursuit of gender equality and environmental goals are mutually reinforcing, gender and environment-related considerations have been largely considered in silos, and philanthropic funders have a key role to play in strengthening climate financing that upholds gender equality commitments. AIWF is delighted to play our part in that process.
Further information about the Forum is available here: https://bpcforum.org
Dr Haifa Al Kaylani
President & Founder
Arab International Women’s Forum
