In the countdown to the United Nations-led climate negations in Egypt, experts are making a case for girls' involvement in the conservation agenda.
Inspiring young women to speak out and leveraging their strengths, they say, adds value to climate conversations.
Dr Richard Munang, the Deputy Regional Director of, United Nations Environment Programme (Unep) Africa office, says positive gender debate leads to the complementarity of men and women in the fight against global warming.
"Climate change affects women and children more. Whatever happens, in most cases everything still comes back to women. It's important to see how we can tap into girls and boys towards solutions," Dr Mungang told a forum on Tuesday dubbed "Girls as solutions for climate opportunity."
"Let's become examples. Let's hold those responsible for policy to account," added the Deputy Regional Director, Unep Africa office, who hosted the online forum with participants drawn from across continents.
Participants said up scaling the climate war calls for concerted efforts from every sector, adding that solutions to hunger, pollution, poverty and disease need not be antagonistic. They said lasting solutions required players to be "on the same page."
"Empowerment should start from the onset. Education starts from home and empowerment too must start from home," said Nigerian Ayobani A, who added that the girl child should get into the 'information space' and use their talents and abilities to influence change.
According to the UN Women, women are 14 times more likely to die from a climate disaster than men.
The discussions came ahead of the 27th session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) - known as COP27 which will take place in November at Sharm El-Sheikh in Egypt.
Another session is lined up on Thursday night on Twitter Space focusing on "youth assertiveness and self-confidence to drive climate action."
Dr Munang, who was previously the Africa Regional Climate Change Coordinator at Unep, has led efforts to actualise the agency's climate resilient development strategy for Africa and skills retooling of the youth.
Meanwhile, Dr Mahmoud Mohieldin, the UN High-Level Climate Champion for Egypt and UN Special Envoy on Financing 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda, has stressed the need for sustained efforts by the private sector to support climate adaptation measures.
He spoke via video during a pre-COP discussion on climate change and poverty organised by the World Bank Group, with the participation of Egyptian minister of International Cooperation, Dr Rania Al-Mashat and Nobel Laureate Esther Duflo.
Dr Mohieldin stressed the need to adopt a holistic approach that enhances climate action within the framework of sustainable development plans, which contributes to reducing poverty rates. He praised the social protection programmes in Egypt that integrate climate action.
He highlighted the importance of World Bank's role in climate finance, singling out provision of concessional financing tools and reducing the cost of borrowing.
Dr Mohieldin said concessional financing policies are not only related to low-income countries, but also to middle-income ones.
