University of Shanghai, OCHA & Islamic Relief: Embracing Knowledge & Expertise: Women’s Leadership in Addressing Climate-Driven Humanitarian Emergencies in Afghanistan

November 2024

Despite being one of the lowest greenhouse gas emitters globally, Afghanistan ranks eighth out of 170 countries in terms of climate vulnerability, facing frequent and severe natural disasters such as floods, flash floods, and droughts.

The intersection of climate change, gender dynamics, and mobility creates a unique set of challenges that
disproportionately affect Afghan women and girls due to the current socio-political context, gender norms, limited income, lack of access to higher education, and exclusion from decision-making processes.

This paper produced collaboratively by Samuel Hall, Islamic Relief, OCHA and University of Shanghai highlights stories of two Afghan women to underscore two crucial points: first, on how the climate response has been deeply enriched by the leadership and contributions of women.

Second, it underscores that the humanitarian sector’s localisation agenda, and the development sector’s Basic Human Needs (BHN) approach, cannot be fully realised without the meaningful inclusion of women and faith actors.

Read full paper here.