As climate and environmental challenges intensify worldwide, their impacts are being felt unequally. While disasters disrupt lives across communities, women and girls often bear the heaviest burden facing greater risks, slower recovery, and deeper social and economic setbacks. The intersection of gender inequality, poverty, and social norms amplifies these vulnerabilities, making it essential to put women’s leadership at the core of disaster risk reduction (DRR).
According to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), building resilience in the face of climate disasters is not just about infrastructure or technology it’s about inclusion. Women’s leadership, care responsibilities, and access to resources are crucial elements that determine how societies prepare for, respond to, and recover from crises.
Across the world, women-led initiatives are demonstrating how equality and resilience go hand in hand. In Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Feminist Coalition for Climate Justice, supported by UNDP, has improved working conditions for over 75,000 women and trained 1,500 officials in energy and climate management. In Chad, women’s cooperatives are integrating climate-smart agriculture, solar irrigation, and early warning systems to protect communities from floods, showcasing how women’s innovation can transform risk reduction and peacebuilding efforts.
Women also play a central role in caregiving a cornerstone of resilience. Globally, women perform over three-quarters of unpaid care work, a burden that increases during crises as schools close and healthcare systems falter. Recognizing and integrating care systems into disaster management, such as through safe spaces and continuity of essential services, can dramatically improve recovery outcomes. In Central America, countries like Honduras and Guatemala are using geo-referenced mapping tools to identify “care deserts” in disaster-prone areas, ensuring evacuation and rehabilitation plans include caregiving infrastructure.
Accurate, gender-sensitive data is another pillar of effective disaster response. When information is disaggregated by sex, age, and disability, it enables authorities to plan more effectively and inclusively. Countries such as Cuba, Indonesia, and Yemen have already strengthened early warning systems by embedding women’s participation and leadership in DRR frameworks. In Ethiopia and Armenia, gender-focused risk assessments have led to recovery plans that directly address women’s needs, from livelihoods to housing security.
Resilient communities begin with resilient institutions. Embedding gender equality into the structure and operation of disaster management systems ensures sustainability and inclusiveness. Guatemala’s national disaster risk authority, for example, received UNDP’s Gender Equality Seal for integrating women’s participation and gender data into local decision-making, including that of Indigenous women.
Despite progress, significant gaps remain. Gender considerations are still often sidelined in climate and disaster policies. To build a truly resilient future, women’s leadership must be made non-negotiable in DRR planning and financing. Investments should flow toward women-led enterprises, risk financing, and social protection systems that strengthen household and community resilience.
By centering care, equality, and women’s participation in every stage of disaster risk management, societies can move from vulnerability to empowerment. Resilience is not only about withstanding shocks it’s about rebuilding stronger, fairer, and more inclusive communities for all.