Empowering women and girls strengthens resilience and delivers more sustainable results
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What changes does AFD hope to see by 2027 through this new climate and gender project with UN Women and the Government of Bangladesh?
AFD has committed a €300 million ($ 349 million) policy loan programme and launched a dedicated initiative with UN Women to operationalize the Climate Change and Gender Action Plan (CCGAP) in Bangladesh, one of the most climate-vulnerable countries. Despite strong government leadership, gender integration in climate action is hampered by limited technical capacity, fragmented coordination, weak monitoring and financing mechanisms that overlook gender-differentiated needs. The project seeks to close these gaps by strengthening institutions, building accountability and ensuring inclusive climate finance. By 2027, success will mean gender fully embedded in adaptation planning, tangible empowerment of vulnerable groups and more resilient institutions.
How can strengthening institutions increase climate resilience for women and girls?
Institutional strengthening is key because climate resilience cannot depend on isolated projects. It requires systems that consistently recognize and address the differentiated needs of women, girls and marginalized groups. Embedding gender equality in institutional frameworks ensures it becomes part of climate policies, financing and action, rather than being treated as an afterthought. With the right knowledge, tools and accountability frameworks, government officials can design adaptation measures that effectively respond to women’s and girls’ vulnerabilities. Strong ministries, agencies and financing bodies – such as the Bangladesh Climate Change Trust – equipped with skilled staff and gender-responsive monitoring systems, can turn policies like the CCGAP into action, delivering equitable, sustainable and systemic resilience.
As we mark the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, how does this partnership reflect AFD’s continued commitment to gender equality?
The Beijing Declaration continues to guide AFD’s commitment to gender equality, which is a core focus across our work – 61 per cent of projects in 2024 had gender as a main or secondary objective. Our global partnership with UN Women is an important instrument to reinforce this commitment.
In Bangladesh, working with UN Women and the Government on operationalizing the CCGAP allows us to translate international commitments, such as the Beijing Declaration, into locally driven action. This project also reflects our conviction that the climate and gender nexus is essential for more sustainable and resilient development, as revealed by the upcoming renewal of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change global gender action plan announced for COP30 in Belem. Strengthening institutions by building capacity is a way to ensure women and girls are at the centre of climate adaptation and development policies, as active decision-makers in shaping climate solutions.
How do you ensure gender equality is integrated across AFD’s work in Bangladesh?
Gender equality is a principle embedded across all AFD’s operations. Guided by our gender policy, we ensure that every project team integrates gender considerations into project design, implementation and monitoring. Gender focal points play a key role providing staff with tools, training and technical advice. We also apply gender indicators and data for accountability and systematically address gender in policy dialogue with government, implementing agencies and development partners. In this way, gender equality becomes a core value across sectors rather than an add-on.
How do you see AFD growing its partnerships in Bangladesh to support women and girls?
AFD aims to deepen and broaden its partnerships in Bangladesh by working closely with government institutions, agencies and other development partners to mainstream gender into climate and environmental initiatives. At a time of global backlash on gender, this partnership has the potential to show that empowering women and girls strengthens resilience and delivers more sustainable results.
Cynthia Mela is the Country Director of Agence Française de Développement (AFD). AFD is supporting UN Women in implementing the initiative “Increase the Resilience of Women and Girls through the Acceleration of Gender-Responsive Climate Action” (Women’s Resilience to Climate Change) in Bangladesh.
Photo : Agence Française de Développement (AFD)