Women’s Leadership and Inclusive Climate Action: From Policy to Implementation

Background: In the session, UNU-VIE partners with Fundación Avina and the UNFCCC Regional Collaboration Centre for Eastern and Southern Africa (RCC‑ESA) in the frame of Greenovations Africa 2 project, synthesizing expertise to capacitate grassroot women entrepreneurs with skills or knowhow to quantify their climate action contribution or climate finance readiness and engagement and participation and alignment with their countries national climate commitment. While The Next Generation Leaders provide knowledge for the key entry points for women’s leadership in policy processes and practical skills to turn climate policies into practical, community‑based action. Objectives: Enhancing climate finance readiness and access Strengthening gender-responsive and participatory implementation skills Promoting peer learning and knowledge exchange Embedding action within policy and strategic frameworks Enabling effective and inclusive implementation Format: The session will be delivered online and will combine presentations, moderated discussions, and interactive group‑based activities using virtual breakout rooms. Participants will engage in guided tool demonstrations followed by hands-on exercises in breakout groups, where they will use the climate impact tool to develop mock profiles based on selected climate challenges or grassroots women‑led solutions. Group work will be complemented by plenary discussions, short participant pitch presentations, and facilitated Q&A to encourage peer learning, reflection, and practical application of tools‑generated evidence to policy, funding, and implementation contexts. Outcomes: Improve understanding of national climate commitments, including gender and financing dimensions, structural and care related barriers to climate finance for grassroots women entrepreneurs, and how gender-responsive climate leadership supports inclusive climate action and implementation of national climate priorities. Gain a clear policy and strategic framework for gender-responsive climate action, while strengthening understanding of how grassroots women-led climate initiatives align with NDC priorities and climate finance mechanisms, and improving capacity to apply participatory tools for investor readiness. Contribute to more effective, inclusive, and gender-responsive climate actions and outcomes, while supporting identification of methodological gaps and capacity building priorities, and enhancing peer learning, collaboration, and exchange across regions.