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Project

Localising National Gender and Climate Policy in Uganda

Unit(s) of assessment: Politics and International Studies

Research theme(s): Safety and Sustainability

School: School of Arts and Humanities

Context

Uganda is the 13th most vulnerable country in the world to the effects of climate change, and the impact is felt most harshly by women, particularly women in poverty. At the global level, gender equality is now integrated into climate policy. This raises the expectation that countries will incorporate this approach at the national level, and Uganda is an example of a country which has successfully aligned its national policies on gender and climate with global conventions, norms and agreements. However, previous research has shown that there is a significant gap between Uganda’s national gender and climate policy and local implementation.

The UNDP Uganda country office finds that ‘the numerous gender-responsive legal, policy and institutional frameworks established are not consistently enforced’, largely due to lack of resources, limited knowledge and insufficient data. The impact of climate change is experienced differently by groups and individuals according to gender, age, socio-economic status, and other markers of inequality. Women are exposed to more negative effects of climate change because they tend to be poorer and have greater caring responsibilities, including the provision of water and food for the household. Climate change can affect women’s access to education and employment, and increase the risk of gender-based violence, conflict, migration and displacement.

However, there is a need to shift the focus from women’s vulnerability to their knowledge, capacity and agency.

Funded by the British Academy Official Development Assistance Challenge-Oriented Research Grants 2024

Addressing the Challenge

Our project will co-produce knowledge about the impact of climate change on women’s lives and their pathways to climate resilience with

  1. women refugees
  2. women displaced by climate change to urban areas
  3. women subsistence farmers in selected communities.

Using feminist participatory research methods, we will investigate the obstacles to their participation in climate decision-making and privilege their voices and life experiences in proposals for policy change. Local and national policy-makers will be involved in the project from research design through to dissemination, as a key part of our strategy to inform policy-making and implementation at local and national level.

Making a Difference

Localising gender-responsive national climate policies in a way which is inclusive of the voices and experiences of women will bring about positive change, particularly for women refugees, women displaced by the climate crisis and women subsistence farmers in Uganda.

People

The project is led by Professor Gill Allwood, Nottingham Trent University.

Co-applicants are:

Staff profiles