Themes: Gender equality & social inclusion (GESI)

Themes: Gender equality & social inclusion (GESI)

The GESI priority area focuses on empowering those most affected by climate change, including women, girls, youth, Indigenous communities, people living with disabilities (PLWD), and other disadvantaged groups.

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Project
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Climate Activist Programme in Ghana

Young people across Africa are emerging as powerful drivers of climate innovation, advocacy, and community mobilisation, yet many still face barriers such as limited access to technical knowledge, mentorship, financial literacy, institutional support, and practical pathways to scale their impact. The Climate Activist Programme (CAP) was launched in 2024 to close these gaps, and its current edition, CAP 3.0: Skills to Scale for Resilience, builds on the lessons of CAP24 and CAP25 with a multidisciplinary, experiential approach spanning climate science, policy, leadership, project management, climate finance, entrepreneurship, storytelling, and creative advocacy. 

Feature
21st July 2026
From inclusion to influence: What SB64 taught us about strengthening GESI advocacy As part of SB64 in Bonn, CDKN supported a UNFCCC workshop for National Gender and Climate Change Focal Points to strengthen advocacy for gender equality and social inclusion (GESI). This blog, written by CDKN Programme Lead Lisa McNamara and CDKN GESI Lead Patricia Bamanyaki, reflects on this experience and the broader lessons for climate action to answer the question: How do we advocate for GESI when decision-makers are unconvinced?
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Implementing the Monitoring, Evaluation, Reporting & Learning (MERL) tool in Kenya

This project supports the Government of Kenya to develop a participatory Monitoring, Evaluation, Reporting and Learning (MERL) tool to improve the tracking of climate investments, outcomes, and impacts. It addresses gaps in existing monitoring systems that limit the measurement of climate action effectiveness, climate finance mobilisation, project sustainability, and reporting. Led by the Ministry of Environment, Climate Change and Forestry (MECCF) with support from CDKN Kenya and pilot counties, the tool is being co-created to strengthen evidence-based climate planning and accountability.

Resource
15th June 2026
Systematization of the experience of the project implemented by the Regional Water Fund - FORASAN Piura This document describes the implementation experience of the project “Restoration of ecosystems with Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA) measures, with a focus on gender equality and social inclusion (GESI) in the Samanga Peasant Community”, in the province of Ayabaca, Piura region.
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Strengthening urban climate resilience across Asia

CDKN’s partnership with ICLEI South Asia strengthens urban climate resilience in India, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Sri Lanka by supporting local governments and communities to develop inclusive climate action plans, build capacity, and implement locally led adaptation. The programme focuses on gender equity and social inclusion (GESI), ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA), and practical interventions to enhance resilience and improve livelihoods in vulnerable urban areas.

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5th May 2026
Disability inclusion is strongest when intentional: Reflecting on the Climate Resilience for All webinar In April 2026, CDKN co‑hosted with the Norwegian Federation of Organisations of Persons with Disabilities (FFO) a webinar on strengthening disability inclusion within GESI‑responsive climate action in Africa. With an array of speakers sharing insights from science, policy, and practice, the webinar emphasised the importance of integrating disability meaningfully into climate action frameworks across the continent.
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8th April 2026
Championing inclusive climate action in Addis Ababa: Lessons from Ethiopia’s gender and climate change community of practice Over the past fifty years, Ethiopia has experienced increasing climate impacts, such as food insecurity risks, pressures on natural resources, and threats to livelihoods, underscoring the need for robust adaptation and resilience strategies. However, gender integration is still very fragmented. Recognising this gap, national stakeholders identified the need for coordinated capacity strengthening efforts and a shared platform to strengthen gender-responsive approaches in climate action. This blog by Arsema Andargatchew shares the lessons learned from a Community of Practice.
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25th March 2026
Strengthening rangeland management through community knowledge and science in Otjinene This blog by Ester Nangolo reports on CDKN Namibia's recent capacity-building and capacity-strengthening activities in the Otjinene constituency of the Omaheke region. Here, farmers are already seeing the impacts on rangeland management in a changing climate. However, communities are working with partners like CDKN to find practical and locally grounded solutions.
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8th September 2025
Gender and social inclusion: Time to stop outsourcing? Gender and social inclusion aren’t optional; they’re the backbone of lasting change. Yet, too often this work is outsourced to external parties. The following blog, by Patricia Bamanyaki and Mairi Dupar, explores how to overcome this challenge. It forms part of a series sharing insights from CDKN’s recent Locally led adaptation learning and reflection workshop.
Resource
30th June 2025
Gender Equity and Social Inclusion (GESI) training manual for Ethiopian practitioners   This Gender Equity and Social Inclusion (GESI) training manual is a key resource for the Ministry of Planning and Development of Ethiopia and its partner institutions. It provides guidance to GESI experts (and facilitators) on how to plan, prepare for, and conduct training on GESI integration in the design and implementation of development and climate change projects.
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2nd April 2025
What does a just transition mean for Africa? The concept of a just transition is not new and has been around since the 1980s when it was used by Trade Unions to draw attention to the social effects of environmental measures (United Nations, 2023). In the context of climate change, it aims to ensure that no one is left behind, or excluded, in the transition to environmentally sustainable and low-carbon economies.
News
20th February 2025
CDKN forms new partnership to address gender equity and land rights for climate resilience in East and Southern Africa CDKN has joined the International Land Coalition Africa to co-lead a project titled, Advancing Gender Equity and Land Rights through Knowledge Brokering for Ecosystem-Based Adaptation in Southern Africa. They have partnered with the Micaia Foundation, the Uganda Community Based Association for Women and Children Welfare, Youth4CAN and the University of Botswana.