Climate change hits women hardest, funding support inadequate: UNGCNI
UNGCNI chief Vaishali Nigam Sinha, in an interview with PTI Videos, emphasized the need to recognize the vital role played by women in climate-related disaster management and reduce the impacts of climate change on their lives through targeted investment.
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“Women are significantly more likely to be affected during climate-related disasters. It is important to protect and support women when addressing climate-related impacts. However, when we look at the capital flowing towards helping women affected by climate change, this is only a small fraction of what is required, around 10 per cent,” Sinha told PTI.
A 2025 UN women report warned that in a worst-case climate scenario, up to 158.3 million more women and girls globally could be living in extreme poverty as a result of climate change by 2050.
Highlighting the plight of women in rural areas, she said those who work in farming or similar jobs are often unrecognized and work without pay, but are directly affected by extreme heat, especially in regions such as Rajasthan and Gujarat, which affects their mental health, livelihoods and many other aspects of their lives.
The UNGCNI chief also noted the practical challenges women face in the field. “In the renewable energy sector, it is essential for women to work on construction sites, hospitals and appropriate cleaning facilities (for both men and women).” Also read: Happy Women’s Day 2026 Wishes: 100+ women’s day 2026 images, GIFs, WhatsApp status, messages, quotes
He underlined that although these facilities may seem standard in Delhi, they are far from guaranteed in the remotest parts of the country.
When asked for his explanation of the gap between commitments and on-the-ground implementation, especially when it comes to areas such as sustainability and gender inclusion, the UNGCNI chief emphasized that commitment is the biggest factor as well as the trigger.
“There is a need for a systematic approach to define a program and carry out project planning. If what is being done cannot be measured, it is not being done. Implementation requires having a plan and ensuring that it is implemented on time. Time is running out,” said Sinha, Co-Founder of decarbonization solutions company ReNew.
“We are already in 2026 and looking at a 2030 timeline for many of the Sustainable Development Goals that need to be implemented, particularly Sustainable Development Goals 5,” he added.
Sustainable Development Goal 5 (SDG 5) aims to achieve gender equality and empower women and girls globally.
The goal, introduced by the United Nations in 2015 as part of the 2030 agenda, emphasizes that gender equality is not only a fundamental human right, but also essential for building a peaceful, prosperous and sustainable world.
Responding to the question of whether artificial intelligence fuels gender inequality, Sinha said, “This is true to some extent,” and emphasized that artificial intelligence can be used in a positive way to ensure that more girls are educated and have access to opportunities in fields where they never existed before.
“In a country like India, where poverty and illiteracy are major challenges, I believe we can use AI in a positive way to ensure more girls get education and access opportunities in fields that never existed before. This is a huge opportunity and we must embrace it,” ReNew Co-Founder told PTI.
“We also need guardrails to ensure there are no negative impacts,” he added.
On Friday, UNGCNI brought together more than 200 leaders from government, the UN, industry, academia and civil society for the 9th Gender Equality summit to discuss private sector actions on gender equality and women’s participation in leadership, entrepreneurship and more.
