Africa: 1.5 Billion Women and Girls Live in Climate Hotspots, as UN Women Urges Stronger Action at COP31

What the report says

UN Women used the opening of the 31st UN Climate Conference in Antalya, Turkey, to argue that climate policy must do more to address gender inequality. In material distributed through AllAfrica, the agency said 1.5 billion women and girls already live in climate hotspots and warned that climate change could push 141 million more into extreme poverty by 2050.

The fact sheet cited by UN Women says women and girls are disproportionately affected where climate hazards overlap with insecure work and existing social inequality. It also says many governments acknowledge the risk in principle, but far fewer have taken a comprehensive approach. The report links climate stress to rising unpaid care work, greater exposure to violence, and worsening barriers to income and mobility, especially in poorer countries that have contributed least to the crisis.

UN Women Executive Director Sima Bahous said women are already leading climate responses in communities, research, politics and frontline activism, and called for them to have equal rights, resources and influence. The agency urged governments meeting at COP31 to expand gender-responsive climate finance, protect women environmental defenders, and ensure women and girls have a real role in climate decision-making.

The report also pointed to potential gains if policy changes are made, including the possibility of women securing a large share of future green jobs. More broadly, the release reflects a growing push within UN climate talks to treat gender equality as a core part of adaptation, resilience and just transition planning.