The Women’s Coalition of Zimbabwe has urged lawmakers to adopt a gender-transformative approach in the Climate Change Management Bill, stressing that women’s needs, leadership, and lived experiences must be central to Zimbabwe’s climate policies.
Speaking during ongoing public hearings, WCoZ noted that climate change disproportionately affects women due to long-standing structural inequalities that limit access to resources, participation in decision-making, and socio-economic resilience.
The coalition said the Bill must therefore go beyond gender awareness and actively challenge systems that reinforce these inequalities.
“We are pushing for a gender-transformative approach to climate action and are committed to ensuring women’s needs are at the forefront of climate policy,” WCoZ said in a statement submitted during the consultations.
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Backed by partners including the Southern Africa Trust, WCoZ presented key recommendations designed to embed gender equity in the implementation of the Bill. These include:
- Gender-responsive budgeting for the National Climate Fund
- A minimum 50% women’s representation in climate governance bodies
- Inclusion of gender and climate experts on all relevant institutional boards
- Strengthened gender-disaggregated data systems for monitoring and reporting
The coalition also recommended legal guarantees for women’s full participation at every decision-making level, gender-sensitive early warning systems, mandatory Social and Gender Impact Assessments for climate projects, and gender-responsive procurement standards within carbon market frameworks.
WCoZ further called on Parliament to ensure that all public institutions involved in climate governance explicitly integrate gender equality into their strategies, operations, and reporting mechanisms.
The advocacy comes as the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Climate and Environment conducts nationwide consultations on the Bill, which seeks to establish a comprehensive legal framework for climate governance, mitigation, and adaptation.
WCoZ said the Bill offers an opportunity to align Zimbabwe’s climate response with global commitments under the Paris Agreement and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change while advancing women’s empowerment and social justice.
“A climate law that leaves women behind is incomplete,” the coalition stated. “Zimbabwe’s transition must be just, inclusive, and transformative.”
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