Women need meaningful role, not just representation

MUSCAT, SEPT 16
Speakers at the Women and Climate Summit, held during Oman Climate Week at the Oman Convention and Exhibition Centre, urged women to become policy designers rather than merely beneficiaries of climate action. Panellists stressed the importance of localising climate frameworks and drawing on each country’s own experience.
The summit was held under the auspices of Dr Jokha bint Abdullah al Shukaili, Chairperson of the Oman Authority for Quality Assurance of Education.
In a recorded message, Amina J Mohammed, Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations, said renewable energy had expanded faster than expected, with falling costs and advancing technologies accelerating the transition.
“The question is no longer whether the transition will happen. It is whether it will happen fast enough and fairly enough for everyone to benefit,” she said.
She identified two priorities: accelerating the transition away from fossil fuels and placing climate justice at the heart of the process. This includes addressing barriers facing developing countries, such as high financing costs, limited fiscal space and unequal access to technology and value chains.
Amina also stressed the need to close the gender inequality gap, noting that women and girls, particularly in rural and marginalised communities, are often among those most affected by climate change.
“But they are not simply victims of the climate crisis. They are leaders, innovators and agents of change,” she said, adding that women’s equal participation in climate policy and decision-making leads to more effective, inclusive and sustainable solutions.
In her keynote speech, Dr Shezra Mansab Ali Khan Kharal, Pakistan’s State Minister for Climate Change, said countries must move from dialogue to implementation, stressing that sustainability would be achieved by people, with women at the centre of the effort.
“We have adopted international frameworks on climate, biodiversity, gender equality and sustainable development. The next question is whether these commitments are reflected in budgets, institutions, investment decisions, and measurable outcomes,” she said.
She noted that climate change, energy security, water scarcity and biodiversity are reshaping economies and societies, while creating opportunities to reconsider who shapes solutions.
“Women should be recognised as decision-makers, innovators, investors, entrepreneurs and leaders of the transition,” she said.
Kharal pointed out that women, particularly in vulnerable communities, often manage food, water and household resilience, making them key agents in responding to environmental challenges.
She called for a shift from viewing women as recipients of support to recognising them as partners and leaders, stressing that representation alone is insufficient. Women should have meaningful roles in climate finance, energy, infrastructure, water management, biodiversity, technology and economic planning.
On energy transformation, she said millions of new jobs and skills would emerge in renewable energy, energy efficiency, storage, electric mobility and digital technology, adding that women must be able to participate in these value chains.
She also highlighted barriers faced by women-led enterprises in accessing finance, investment and markets, and called for greater investment in women’s education and skills, while recognising their role in biodiversity protection and natural resource management.