It’s not too late: Climate action for women, by women

This International Women’s Day, 8 March, join UN Women and the world in coming together under the theme “Gender equality today for a sustainable tomorrow”, and call for climate action for women, by women.

With the latest data, we now understand the vital link between gender, social equity and climate change, and recognize that without gender equality today, a sustainable future, an equal future, remains out of reach. 

Women and girls experience the greatest impacts of the climate crisis as it amplifies existing gender inequalities and puts women’s lives and livelihoods at risk. Across the world, women depend more on, yet have less access to, natural resources, and often bear a disproportionate responsibility for securing food, water, and fuel.

As women and girls bear the burden of climate impacts, they are also essential to leading and driving change in climate adaption, mitigation and solutions.  Without the inclusion of half of the world's population, it is unlikely that solutions for a sustainable planet and a gender equal world tomorrow will be realized. 

We have one planet, one chance to save it – and women and girls are leading the charge. Women and girls are disproportionately vulnerable to the growing impacts of climate change, yet they are also critical advocates, innovators and decision-makers at the forefront of global climate action and solutions. This International Women’s Day (8 March 2022), under the theme “Gender equality today for a sustainable tomorrow,” UN Women recognises and celebrates the contributions of women and girls around the world to build a more sustainable and equal future for all. By championing climate action by women, for women, we can ensure that it’s not too late.

Last year, at the Generation Equality Forum, the Action Coalition for Feminist Action for Climate Justice was launched, bringing together governments, private sector companies, the UN system and civil society in order to make concrete commitments toward climate justice. This International Women’s Day, the Action Coalition is helping drive global action and investment with a focus on financing for gender-just climate solutions, increasing women’s leadership in the green economy, building women’s and girls resilience to climate impacts and disasters and increasing the use of data on gender equality and climate.

Join us in celebrating all the ways women and girls are taking climate action at all levels, and help elevate their voices and support their work.

Statements

Celebrating the solution multipliers

In her statement for International Women's Day, UN Women Executive Director Sima Bahous says: "Let us make this International Women’s Day a moment to recall that we have the answers not just for SDG 5 but, through the advancement of gender equality, for all 17 Sustainable Development Goals and Agenda 2030. I look forward to working with every one of you to that end."

Statement by UN Secretary-General António Guterres on International Women's Day On International Women’s Day, we celebrate women and girls everywhere. We celebrate their contributions to ending the COVID-19 pandemic. Their ideas, innovations and activism that are changing our world for the better. And their leadership across all walks of life.

Event: United Nations Observance of International Women's Day 2022

UN Women is pleased to invite you to the United Nations observance of International Women’s Day 2022. The theme is “Gender Equality Today for a sustainable tomorrow”.

Learn more.