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Climate Change: Diaspora Women Voices Must be Heard
London - To mark International Women’s Day, as part of IOM’s Diaspora for Climate Action (D4C) project we take the opportunity to highlight the voices of diaspora women leaders and their crucial contribution to climate action in countries of origin and residence.
Victoria Căpătici, a member of the Moldovan diaspora in the UK since 2019, moved to the UK to develop her career in the international development sector. However, she has never forgotten her homeland. The experiences that she had, the desire to help her country and community, and the difficulties to make connections abroad, inspired her to create ‘Diaspora Connect’. “The idea was to create a platform to bring together all the skills and the experiences of Moldovan professionals living abroad, in one place”, she says.
Victoria is now a partner of IOM’s D4C project.
Diaspora members have valuable knowledge and understanding which combined with networks and skills can benefit both countries of origin and residence. Therefore, Victoria highlights the importance of equal gender representation in key conversations like those around climate action.
“There cannot be solutions that work for everyone, without everyone being effectively represented. My first recommendation would be to promote effective gender participation and representation in climate action”.
Victoria marks that there is still inequality in climate leadership, and we need urgently “to give diaspora women more seats at the table.”
Victoria is committed to raise awareness of how climate change is not going to be fully understood without a gender perspective, and highlights that the actions and solutions need to address the existing vulnerabilities and inequalities that women suffer as a priority.
“If we manage to see the valuable connections that diaspora women bring, and make them more visible, then I think we stand a better chance to get closer to effective climate action solutions”.
The Diaspora for Climate Action project aims to create a model to promote the unique role diaspora can play, including the various perspectives of diaspora members of all genders who can bring to the national and international climate action conversation new paths of innovation and inclusive solutions. Women are part of these key perspectives. Investing in women’s projects and initiatives and having them on the decision-making table will bring a better future for all.