Cairo – The International Organization for Migration (IOM) published on Tuesday a policy brief on the effects of Climate Mobility on Women and Girls in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Region, highlighting their experiences and recognizing both the protection risks they face and also the leadership role they take in climate action.  

“Women and Girls in the MENA Region play a vital role in climate action. They are disproportionately affected by climate change due to existing gender inequalities, thus their experiences and leadership roles shouldn’t be left out and we must ensure that they are meaningfully involved in all policy and programming efforts and decision-making processes,” said Mr. Othman Belbeisi, Regional Director for the MENA region. 

The countries of the MENA region are facing severe and accelerated impacts of climate change, extreme weather events and environmental degradation that have already pushed people to migrate internally.  

This policy brief presents an overview of women and girls' experiences with climate mobility in the MENA region and makes recommendations for governments, regional bodies, actors involved in programming, academics and research institutes. It highlights that women’s needs and experiences should be placed at the forefront of any response to climate mobility. 

The recommendations identify priority areas of action to build women’s resilience to climate change, capitalize on their expertise and skills, and reduce the risks associated with displacement and forced migration. 

The policy brief is available here and an executive summary here.

For more information please contact: Tamim Elyan at telyan@iom.int