Government says it is intensifying efforts to mainstream Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) in climate change adaptation programmes to ensure that no one is left behind.
The remarks were made by Secretary for Natural Resources Richard Perekamoyo during the official opening of the Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) Working Group Workshop under the Least Developed Countries Initiative for Effective Adaptation and Resilience (LIFE-AR) in Salima.
Addressing participants at the workshop, Perekamoyo emphasised that adaptation projects must benefit all Malawians and be inclusive at every stage.
“Adaptation projects are meant to benefit all Malawians, and therefore it is important that everyone should be taken on board from planning through implementation so that we ensure the targeted people benefit and are resilient to climate change,” said Perekamoyo.
He further observed that while some programmes have performed well, gaps remain in ensuring that all social groups meaningfully participate and benefit.
Chairperson of the GESI Working Group under LIFE-AR, Akuma Okot, said the workshop aims to identify existing gaps, harmonise approaches and develop an action plan to address gender inequalities in adaptation programming.
Okot, who also serves as Principal Gender Officer in Uganda’s Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development, underscored the importance of inclusive programming.
“By mainstreaming gender and social inclusion, and looking at the challenges and experiences of every category of people, it will help us move with everybody and not leave anyone behind,” said Okot.
In her remarks GESI Advisor for LIFE-AR, Chantelle Cummings, said inclusion is embedded in the initiative’s guiding principles, which emphasise community ownership and participatory decision-making.
“We recognise that climate change adaptation cannot happen unless we are involving the most vulnerable people in communities and ensuring that climate finance reaches them,” Cummings said.
The LIFE-AR initiative is a programme for Least Developed Countries with six front-runner nations: The Gambia, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Uganda, Malawi and Bhutan.
The initiative is working towards channeling 70 per cent of climate finance directly to communities, promoting inclusive local governance structures and piloting community-led adaptation investments under its test-and-evolve phase.
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