Women and girls face the greatest impacts of climate change. However, they should not be seen as victims but instead as agents of change and decision makers, according to Razan Al Mubarak, speaking at this year’s World Government Summit in Dubai.

Ms. Al Mubarak joined Egypt’s Minister of Environment Yasmin Fouad and Maldives Minister of State for Environment, Climate Change and Technology Khadeeja Naseem for the panel, “Ready to Lead: Shaping the Agenda of the Future.” The discussion was moderated by CNN’s Becky Anderson. 

The group discussed the importance of including women in climate action discussions, as well as the obstacles they face in advancing sustainability agendas.

“Climate change is a complex challenge,” Ms. Al Mubarak stated. “It’s a whole of world problem that will require whole of society engagement to address. Having women at the front of leading those efforts is a recipe for success that we will carry forward to COP28.”

Ms. Al Mubarak also reiterated her commitment to advancing a number of climate initiatives such as the UN’s Race to Resilience and Sharm-El-Sheikh Adaptation Agenda, which both aim to address structural inequalities faced by women and other marginalized groups. 

Women’s empowerment was high on the agenda for the summit, which took place February 13-15, 2023. A number of high-ranking women like Ugandan Vice President Jessica Alupo and Tunisian Prime Minister Najla Bouden Romdhane called for increased global efforts to empower women.