Islamabad (GNP): Senator Sherry Rehman took center stage at the 4th Gender Climate Awards as the keynote speaker, an event co-hosted by the Civil Society Coalition for Climate Change (CSCCC), the French Embassy in Pakistan, UN Women, and UNDP. The ceremony honored women climate leaders and community champions driving resilience and sustainable development across Pakistan.
Senator Rehman described the awards as a meaningful tribute to women quietly transforming Pakistan’s most climate-exposed communities. She characterized women as the backbone of household-level crisis management, noting that they serve as primary caregivers, resource controllers, and frontline responders during climate emergencies. While men tend to interface with institutions and external authorities, she explained, women bear the responsibility of managing food, water, healthcare, and family survival from within the home.
Turning to the gendered face of climate displacement, she cited UN figures indicating that women and girls account for roughly 80 percent of those uprooted by climate-related events, a reality rooted in unequal access to resources, information, healthcare, and decision-making power. She stressed that a vast and often invisible crisis is unfolding in Pakistan’s communities, where women continue to spearhead adaptation efforts despite deep-rooted development deficits and social barriers.
She drew attention to a particularly stark statistic: in many rural settings, nearly three-quarters of women’s daily hours are consumed by water collection and household water management, a burden growing heavier as climate-driven scarcity intensifies. Long before disasters reach public attention, she noted, these women are already walking greater distances, stretching shrinking resources, and safeguarding family survival under mounting pressure.
Also Read: FM Welcomes World Bank’s Ongoing Partnership in Priority Sectors
Senator Rehman framed climate change as a polycrisis, a convergence of threats cutting across water security, food systems, public health, livelihoods, and social cohesion. She termed the current era “the scarcity century,” underscoring how every dimension of community life is intertwined with climate vulnerability.
Recalling the catastrophic 2022 floods that submerged a third of Pakistan, she highlighted the disproportionate toll on women and girls. Over 650,000 pregnant women were caught in the disaster, with many unable to reach medical care and some forced to give birth in flood waters.
Close to 1,000 health facilities were damaged or destroyed, cutting off millions of women from sanitation, hygiene, and maternal health services. Economic desperation in affected areas contributed to an estimated 18 percent spike in child marriages. She lamented that many of these hardships remain poorly documented and poorly understood.
Despite these overwhelming challenges, Senator Rehman was firm that women are far more than victims; they are among the most effective agents of climate response. Across villages, farms, and households throughout Pakistan, she said, women are actively cultivating resilience and building solutions even in the face of power imbalances, resource scarcity, and social restrictions.
French Ambassador Nicolas Galey, at the Gender and Climate Award ceremony, stressed that climate change disproportionately affects women, reaffirming France’s feminist diplomacy framework launched in 2019.
Now in its fourth edition, the award received over 350 applications this year. This year’s laureates were honoured for pioneering green enterprise in waste management and coral ecosystem conservation.
Galey noted that France and the EU have maintained consistent climate commitments since the Paris Agreement, with France committing over €6 billion annually to climate resilience projects in developing countries.
Through its development agency AFD, France has supported over 40 projects worth more than €1.5 billion in Pakistan, targeting gender equality and climate resilience
Dr. Samuel Rizk, Resident Representative, UNDP Pakistan, underscored the need for inclusive and equitable climate action, adding that, “The women we honor today already know the data, the impact, the statistics, and certainly know the differentiated toll climate change and environmental degradation has on women and girls and the community at the large. In fact, they have already taken action.”
The fourth edition of the Pakistan Gender Climate Award (GCA) culminated in an awards ceremony Islamabad, recognizing two exceptional women leaders for their contributions to climate action and environmental stewardship.The 2026 edition attracted a record 352 applications from across Pakistan, reflecting the growing momentum of women-led climate initiatives nationwide.
Established by the Embassy of France in 2023, the Pakistan Gender Climate Award celebrates women whose leadership, innovation, and commitment are helping communities confront climate challenges, strengthen resilience, and advance sustainable development. Since its inception, the initiative has recognized ten women climate champions, providing visibility, support, and inspiration for women driving climate solutions across the country.
Sohail Majeed is a Special Correspondent at The Diplomatic Insight. He has twelve plus years of experience in journalism & reporting. He covers International Affairs, Diplomacy, UN, Sports, Climate Change, Economy, Technology, and Health.
