ActionAid Cambodia Newsletter, May 2022

ActionAid raised over £1.24 million to strengthen climate change resilience in Cambodia

ActionAid Cambodia and Action- Aid UK raised over £1.24 million to strengthen climate change resilience in Cambodia by building women’s leadership in 2022-2025.

Women and girls are disproportionally impacted by climate change and other disasters, including the economic challenges resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic. Women are at higher greater burdens of family and career responsibilities. It is vital that women’s unique perspectives are reflected in climate and disaster governance.

Women-led Alternative to Climate Change in Cambodia Project was officially launched on 4th April 2022 with participation from relevant stakeholders, government institutions, Development Partners, Australian and UK Embassy in Cambodia, NGOs partners, and women champions in Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change network in total 88 participants.

Through the UK funding programme, Ambassador Tina Redshaw said, “we are proud to sup- port ActionAid Cambodia to strengthen climate change resilience , by building women’s leadership and increasing women-led advocacy action to demand cli- mate justice and gender equality.

During the project launching, Ms Sarah Knibbs, UN Women Asia-Pacific Regional Representative, congratulated the initiation of the project that works to empower women, especially in remote areas, in meaningful participation in local governance, sub-national, and disaster response and prevention of climate change that needs the efforts to engrave feminist principles to climate change action and disaster risk reduction.

Sarah emphasised that UN Women, through GRACC project implementation, despite the disruption of the Covid-19 outbreak, ActionAid Cambodia tried to strengthen the women champion network to build the trust in the relationship with all the stake- holders and enable them to the new normal and bring out the latest technology which integrated a new means of communication to stay connected with WCNs. For details about Sarah’s speech, please visit ActionAid Cambodia’s Facebook Page: https://www.face- book.com/ActionAidCambodia/ videos/738831837538662

Mr Hong Reaksmey, ActionAid Cambodia Country Director, introduced the background of the women champions network in line with the project context that indicates Women’s Resilience Index (WRI) score is lower than men’s (women = 0.56, men = 0.59).

The Cambodia Women’s Resil- ience Index (WRI) found an un- stable and unpaid income that lowered the women’s resilience index score in economic factors. In the infrastructure factor, women lack access to early warning systems and other information than men, who have more access. For the social aspects, lack of social security and protection for people living in poverty and vulnerable groups and limited knowledge of disaster risk reduction and adaptation also affect women’s resilience to climate change.

Supporting and empowering women in leadership is also integral to Australia’s development cooperation policy, alongside climate action. Through Action- Aid Cambodia and the ANCP Program, Australia supports the women’s champion network in tackling some of this important work. The Women’s Champion Network bolsters women’s participation in provincial communities in decision-making processes related to climate governance at national, sub-national, and local levels.

Women-led alternatives to climate change in Cambodia (WLACC) project is funded by the UK Aid through ActionAid Cambodia, Rural Friend Community for Development (RFCD), Mlup Prumvihea thor (MPC), Children and Women Development Center in Cambodia (CWDCC) and cooperation for Alleviation of Poverty (COFAP). The project is now being implemented in 2 provinces of coastal areas (Kampot and Koh Kong), and another 2 provinces (Kampong thom and Pursat).