MUSCAT — Participants at the Women and Climate Summit held during Oman Climate Week emphasized the critical role women should play in shaping climate policies, urging a shift from seeing women merely as beneficiaries of climate action to active designers and leaders of climate solutions.
The summit took place at the Oman Convention and Exhibition Centre on September 16 under the patronage of Dr. Jokha bint Abdullah al Shukaili, Chairperson of the Oman Authority for Quality Assurance of Education. A recorded message delivered by Amina J Mohammed, Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations, highlighted rapid advances in renewable energy technologies and declining costs, noting that the climate transition is inevitable but must be accelerated and made equitable to ensure broad benefits.
Mohammed identified two key priorities: speeding the shift away from fossil fuels and embedding climate justice into the process. She pointed to challenges faced by developing countries, including high financing costs, limited fiscal space, and unequal access to technology and value chains, which impede their ability to engage fully in the transition.
Addressing gender disparities, Mohammed underscored that women and girls—particularly those in rural and marginalized communities—often suffer most from climate impacts but are also vital agents of change. She argued that women’s equal participation in climate policymaking contributes to more effective, inclusive, and sustainable outcomes.
Expanding on this theme in her keynote address, Pakistan’s State Minister for Climate Change, Dr. Shezra Mansab Ali Khan Kharal, called for moving beyond international dialogue and commitments to tangible implementation. She stressed that sustainability efforts must involve people at their core, with women playing a central role.
Dr. Kharal pointed to overlapping global challenges such as climate change, energy security, water scarcity, and biodiversity loss as factors that are reshaping economies and societies. She noted these challenges create opportunities to rethink who drives solutions, advocating for women’s increased recognition as decision-makers, innovators, investors, entrepreneurs, and leaders in the climate transition.
The panelists collectively highlighted the importance of localizing climate frameworks to reflect individual countries’ contexts and experiences. They stressed that efforts to promote women’s leadership in climate policy must be supported by corresponding commitments in budgets, institutions, investment decisions, and measurable outcomes to accelerate the global push for sustainability.