Gender and Climate: Building Capacity for Effective Advocacy
The Women in Climate project is a two-year initiative led by EWL and funded by the EU CERV programme, with national partners in six countries: Romania, Bulgaria, the Netherlands, Portugal, Finland, and the Czech Republic.
Our aim is to mainstream gender in EU climate policies, using a bottom-up approach, starting from local knowledge and activism and moving toward EU-level advocacy.
Key Activities and Progress so far
1. Pan-European Survey
We began with an online survey targeting EWL members and climate justice advocates across Europe. The aim was to map the existing knowledge of our members in gender and climate advocacy in order to involve them in the next steps of the project, and to identify the key barriers and opportunities in bringing a gender lens to climate policy.
- Reached participants in 11 countries, including EU-wide organisations
- Identified key challenges: lack of gender-sensitive policy, funding gaps, limited data
- Highlighted opportunities in inclusive infrastructure, gender budgeting, and climate-responsive healthcare
- We also collected over 15 expert contacts and 15 tools and resources, now informing the next project phases
By collecting data, resources, and expert contacts, we created momentum within our network and made sure the project was built on real needs and shared knowledge.
2. EU-Level Webinar on Feminist Climate Advocacy
Our second milestone was a high-level webinar designed to build capacity, connect sectors, and shape advocacy strategies.
The 4h webinar featured keynote speeches, panel discussions, interactive workshops, and insightful case studies.
It included speakers from grassroots organisations, civil society, academia, and EU agencies, bringing a wide range of perspectives to the table.
Participants gave positive feedback, highlighting the diverse and intersectional expertise of the speakers, which helped make the connections between climate and gender feel both real and relevant.
3. Local Event in Romania – “No Solution Without Women”
We also had our first local event in May, led by our national partner in Romania. Its core aim was to highlight women’s voices and leadership in climate action, especially from underrepresented groups such as rural women, the elderly, Roma communities, and youth.
- It brought together 44 participants from diverse sectors, including local activists, local authorities, and feminist organisations.
- The event combined expert-led discussions with thematic working groups, allowing participants to explore concrete intersections between gender and climate policy.
- Participants identified key challenges, including gender-blind climate policies in Romania, and made strong recommendations around resilience, data, and representation.
Feedback highlighted the value of inclusive, cross-sectoral dialogue, and there was a clear call for more time and more frequent opportunities for these exchanges.
Next steps
Your contribution today is part of that strength. By showing up, sharing your knowledge, and connecting with one another, you’re helping us build a feminist vision for climate justice that reflects real-life experience; not just policy theory.
And your input matters; because what we hear today will directly inform the final phase of the project. We have four more local events coming up between September and November, and then we’ll gather everything we’ve learned into a set of EU policy recommendations, which we will then present to key decision-makers during our final event in Brussels in June 2026.
