Women play a crucial role in advancing sustainable development, yet they encounter significant barriers in areas such as economic inclusion, education, leadership, and climate resilience. International Women’s Day is a moment to celebrate the achievements of women while acknowledging the challenges they continue to face..
In light of Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day, on March 6, the Sustainable Development Solutions Network Youth (SDSN Youth) held a dynamic session on the role of women in shaping a sustainable future. The session was titled "Her Climate Legacy: Women Shaping a Sustainable Future" and it was part of SDSN Youth’s intergenerational dialogue initiative, aiming at bringing together experts from all generations to discuss key sustainability topics and recommendations and solutions for the same.
Bringing together experienced leaders and emerging youth voices from SDSN and SDSN Youth, the event goal was to foster intergenerational dialogue on women’s contributions to climate work, explored the critical role of women in sustainable development, highlighted intergenerational leadership, and discussed strategies to break down barriers to women’s full participation in decision-making and implementation of sustainable solutions.
The panel was moderated by Camila Kakabadse (Partnerships & Events Project Officer at SDSN Youth), Kendra-Lee Heney (Education Project Lead and Consultant at the Global Schools Program), Martina Razzaboni (Europe Regional Focal Point SDSN Youth), Nardos Berehe (Networks Project Lead at SDSN Youth, and Alua Samat (Intern at SDSN Youth).
The discussions underscored the key barriers women face in achieving leadership roles in sustainable development, the role of intergenerational collaboration in enhancing women’s impact in advancing sustainability, the impact on gender-responsive policies in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, building resilience and leadership in sustainability fields, and the actions individuals, organizations, and policy makers can take now to accelerate a more inclusive and equitable future for women in sustainable development. The event also emphasized the importance of gender-responsive policies, the inclusion of more women and girls in decision-making, and the recognition of women’s presence and achievements in the sustainability fields in order to foster their resilience, mentorship, effective intergenerational collaboration, and intergenerational respect and empathy. The speakers also provided both short-term coping mechanisms and longer-term recommendations for achieving gender equality, offering creative approaches to sustainable solutions, and overall a more sustainable and equitable future for generations to come.
This event is aligned with SDSN’s commitment in regards to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB), as we aim to promote integrated approaches to sustainable development and the Sustainable Development Goals. Empowering the youth to engage more in sustainable development fields, building on the existing policies and work done to date on diversity, equity, and inclusion and to embed gender equality considerations into the structure, policies, and culture of the organization at all levels, promoting a culture of respect and inclusion and allowing every person to reach their full potential, are the ultimate goals of SDSN and SDSN Youth.
If you missed this insightful session or would like to revisit the discussion, we invite you to watch the recording here. Let’s continue working together to empower future leaders and drive sustainable development forward!
For collaboration opportunities with SDSN Youth, please reach out to youth@unsdsn.org