Women’s leadership must be at the centre of Bangladesh’s climate response to scale local solutions into national action, speakers said at the “EmPower II: National Lessons Learned and Scale-Up Workshop” organised by UN Women Bangladesh at Aloki, Dhaka.
Supported by the Governments of Sweden, Switzerland, Germany and New Zealand, the workshop under EmPower: Women for Climate-Resilient Societies Phase II brought together senior government officials, development partners, civil society organisations (CSOs), grassroots women climate champions, financial institutions, academia and UN agencies. Participants reflected on field-level learning and identified pathways to scale gender-responsive climate action.
A regional initiative implemented in Bangladesh, Cambodia and Vietnam, by UN Women and UN Environment Programme (UNEP), EmPower promotes women’s leadership in climate resilience, renewable energy, access to finance and locally led adaptation. In Bangladesh, the project operates across five climate-vulnerable districts including Khulna, Satkhira, Jamalpur, Kurigram and Cox’s Bazar, covering ten upazilas.
The program reached 33,284 women with climate-resilient livelihoods and essential services and impacted approximately 1.6 million people. It has helped mobilize $3 million to support 308 women-led renewable energy enterprises. It has supported the Government of Bangladesh to turn the Climate Change Gender Action Plan into costed, measurable sectoral interventions.
The workshop was inaugurated by Mr. Abu Zafar Md Zahid Hossain, MP, minister, Ministry of Women and Children Affairs and Social Welfare, as the chief guest. He emphasised the need to translate community-level learning into stronger national policy, planning and investment.
“When education, skills and confidence come together, women can speak clearly, make decisions, and lead change in their communities. We must give women the knowledge to adapt to climate change, because those who are equipped with skills and confidence will be able to survive and lead” he said.
Highlighting the results of EmPower phase II, Gitanjali Singh, representative, UN Women said: “Behind all the numbers are women with stronger livelihoods, cleaner energy, greater confidence and a stronger voice in shaping climate solutions. This is the evidence Bangladesh can carry to global fora. It tells a simple AND powerful story: climate commitments matter most when they touch the lives of women and girls - when they are financed, localized, measurable and led by the women most affected by climate change.” She added that gender-responsive climate action is practical, scalable and a smart investment.
The workshop highlighted women’s leadership in local adaptation, renewable energy, climate-resilient livelihoods and collective action. Women climate champions from the five districts shared their experiences in a panel discussion.
While sharing her experience, Farida Yasmin from Nari Associate for Revival and Initiative, Kurigram said: “We are now equipped with knowledge, information and confidence to negotiate on issues that affect our lives. EmPower has been a journey of collective leadership and resilience, enabling women in my community to build skills and claim a seat at the table.”
Special guests included Diepak Elmer, head of cooperation, Embassy of Switzerland; Redita Rokib, advisor, development cooperation, German Embassy Dhaka; Nayoka Martinez-Bäckström, first secretary and deputy head of development cooperation, Embassy of Sweden; and Saidur Rahman Khan, secretary, Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief. Dr Nurun Nahar, additional secretary (Development Wing), Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, attended as the guest of honour.
They underscored the need for stronger collaboration among government, development partners, civil society and financial institutions to expand women-led climate initiatives, strengthen inclusive financing and support effective implementation of gender-responsive climate policies.
“The strength of EmPower lies in its holistic cycle approach, linking local innovation and adaptation with policy discussions and decisions while working closely with grassroots women’s networks. The project has also focused on building the skills and capacity of local CSOs, enabling them to seize opportunities as Bangladesh transitions from a lower- to a middle-income country,” said Nayoka Martinez-Bäckström, first secretary and deputy head of development cooperation, Embassy of Sweden in Bangladesh.
As part of the program, the EmPower Bangladesh webpage was launched to make results, knowledge products and resources more accessible. A photo exhibition featuring stories and photographs captured by members of the Women in Climate Action Network (WCAN) was also inaugurated, showcasing women-led local adaptation initiatives. The project partners including Bangladesh Center for Communication Programs (BCCP), Manusher Jonno Foundation and BRAC University CED were also acknowledged for their contribution.
The event included thematic discussions on renewable energy and financing, Gender Action Plan for Adaptation to Climate Change (GAPACC) implementation, and women’s leadership in collective climate action.