Women and other gender minorities disproportionately affected by climate change, which intensifies pre-existing vulnerabilities across a range of geographic and socioeconomic contexts. According to UN statistics, women make up 80% of those who have displaced due to climate change.
In only 2022, about 650,000 pregnant Pakistani women, without access to healthcare and had to give birth outside due to the severe floods. In addition, eight million women unabled to accessed to basic menstrual hygiene supplies and bathrooms due to the unrelenting floods. It also highlights current disparities that have a substantial impact on socioeconomic structures and people’s quality of life, which increases the likelihood of violent conflicts.
Habib University, dedicated to promoting proactive community engagement and tackling societal issues via deep intellectual endeavours, hosted a student research conference on March 8 and 9 under the theme “Aamozish-e-Tehqeeq – Navigating Climate, Gender, and Peace.“
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Young researchers, educators, climate activists, and digital entrepreneurs were invited to the conference. Organised under the University’s Social Development and Policy Department, to discuss the connections between gender, peacebuilding, and climate change.
The conference, which included skill-building, panel discussions, interactive presentations, and artistic workshops, promoted interdisciplinary conversation about gender and climate action while highlighting the need to empower local communities to confront the many difficulties that climate change presents. Furthermore, it emphasized how important it is to foster inclusive practices in peace initiatives and resilience-building across various groups.
“Centering undergraduate students in the pedagogy and practice of social science research in Pakistan requires a paradigmatic shift,” states the statement, “by giving up-and-coming scholars a platform to showcase their research on the intersection of gender, climate change, and peace.” It takes expertise and resources to support innovation in research pedagogy with the intention added by Dr Shama Dossa. Dr is an Associate Professor of Social Development and Policy at Habib University.
