On 24 March 2022, BUSINESSMED took part in the El-Hiwar Euro-Arab Policy Dialogue on Challenges and Opportunities for Women Economic Empowerment in Times of Climate Change.

El-Hiwar II is a project funded by European Commission DG NEAR and implemented by the College of Europe, conceived as a dialogue tool for the EU to support strengthened work relations and to learn about each other’s functioning, mechanisms, and policies. The event had strong female representation among the 37 participants of the Dialogue, made up of gender experts and policy officers from both the north and south shores of the med region as well as representatives from the UN and prominent women’s organisations.

Specifically, this policy dialogue was centred around gender and climate action priorities, particularly in terms of revamping policies and initiatives to support women’s economic empowerment, in light of the evolving situation generated by climate change and its wide-ranging consequences on economic sectors. Women play a crucial role in climate change adaptation and mitigation, with knowledge of what is needed to adapt to changing environmental conditions and to come up with practical solutions.