As part of London Climate Action Week 2020, CARE hosted 'Gender-just climate resilience in the COVID-19 response'.
COVID-19 represents one of the biggest disruptors to sustainable development, human rights and gender equality in our lifetimes. People who are the most vulnerable and marginalised, particularly women and girls both in developed and developing countries, are the hardest hit by both COVID-19 and the effects of climate change.
Recovery measures provide huge potential for jointly tackling the COVID-19 and climate crises, particularly through stimulus packages, which could be mobilised to accelerate the shift from fossil fuels to renewable energies, to build resilience and address gender inequality.
This will require women, particularly those most affected by climate change and COVID-19, having a meaningful voice in how these policies and spending decisions are shaped. Our research, and long term experience of delivering climate adaptation programmes, tells us that programmes and policies that do support women’s voices are more likely to take into account their needs, promote gender equality and benefit communities overall.
I chaired a panel of brilliant speakers including:
Edith Ofwona Adera, Principal Climate and Green Growth Officer, African Development Bank Abul Kalam Azad, Government of Bangladesh Special Envoy for the Climate Vulnerable Forum Camilla Born, Deputy Strategy Director COP26, Cabinet Office, UK Government Tasneem Essop, Executive Director, Climate Action Network International Franceline Jimenez, Project Manager – Increasing Resilience to Natural Hazards, CARE Philippines Hilda Nakabuye, Founder, Fridays for Future Uganda
Before joining CARE in July 2019 as Executive Director for Programmes and Policy, I was Chief Executive of Amref Health Africa UK.
I have more than 20 years’ experience in the not-for-profit sector focussing on leadership, strategy and communications. My career has always been driven by a commitment to social justice and particularly the rights of women and girls - and I know that drive runs right through every aspect of CARE's remarkable work.
I believe this is a time of change and opportunity, not only for CARE, but for the sector and in the lives of the women, girls and their communities CARE works with around the world.
In my role, I oversee a portfolio of humanitarian and development programmes of over £150 million in 25 countries, as well as CARE’s policy teams on Women’s Economic Empowerment, Inclusive Governance and Emergency Shelter.
Since March 2018 I have Co-Chaired the UK NGO sector working group on Leadership and Culture for Safeguarding. Prior to my role at Amref Health Africa, I was Director of Communications and Brand and Head of International Programme Engagement for Unicef UK. I also worked in Afghanistan to develop the communications strategy for the Ministry of Public Health’s Public-Private Partnerships programme to extend the provision of secondary and tertiary healthcare.
From 2009-2012 I lived and worked in Eswatini (formerly Swaziland), leading the evaluation of an experimental USAID-funded national HIV prevention programme and creating the communications strategy for the Ministry of Health for their new national Health Management Information System. I studied for an MSc in Development from the School of Oriental and African Studies in London.
