This journalism is supported by a content partnership with WUSC and the International Forum.

The latest IPCC report released last year predicts that global warming will exceed 1.5°C during the 21st century. Limiting temperature increases to below 2°C would rely on rapid acceleration of mitigation efforts – such as energy-demand reductions and electricity decarbonization – after 2030. 

Given the urgency of the situation, there is immense pressure for development sector actors to act quickly on issues of poverty, equality, and climate change. However, experts Future of Good spoke to for this story warn that acting too quickly can cause more issues and leave the most vulnerable behind. 

“What we know about the climate crisis is that more vulnerable and more marginalized populations will bear the brunt of the effects of climate change”, says Katherine Im-Jenkins, the managing director of Equality Fund, an organization that provides unrestricted funding to global feminist movements. “[People with] multiple marginalizations are more likely to be affected first and to also not have the same social safety nets or supports that other more privileged populations and communities have. They have unique knowledge and positioning to contribute and also the greatest stake in terms of climate change.” 

For this reason, at the eve of COP26, the Equality Fund organized a Dialogue on Feminist Climate Action with more than 30 representatives from women’s rights organizations and feminist movements in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Participants in the initiative raised concerns over the conference’s calls for “accelerated action” on collaboration between governments, businesses, and civil society.

So how can global development sector actors reach the 2030 deadline set by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in a thoughtful and meaningful way that leaves no one behind? Future of Good spoke to two panelists at the International Forum to get some insights. 

Involve women, especially Indigenous women, in the changemaking process

Im-Jenkins believes that it is important to involve women, who are at the forefront of the fight against climate change, in climate change mitigation efforts. “When we act quickly, sometimes we can forget the basics and first principles. At Equality Fund […], we know that women’s rights organizations, feminist movements are at the forefront of climate change,” she says. “It’s important that we don’t forget that they will be on the frontlines and continue to need support for that work.” 

She cautions against the need to constantly find new solutions to the issue and the danger of overlooking Indigenous women. “There’s already quite a lot of knowledge that Indigenous women have around the natural environment and biodiversity in their territories. That knowledge is sometimes not valued”, she says, “Other forms of knowledge are maybe valued, and I think that [tendency] misses the ways Indigenous women could contribute to that.” 

Prioritize civil society-led, trusted, and safe partnerships among feminist organizations, governments, and the private sector

Participants in the event believe that international climate negotiation agendas were dominated by private sector and government interests — actors that perpetrate marginalization, discrimination, and violence against women and Indigenous human rights, environmental, and land defenders. “They were quite clear in terms of their demands”, emphasized Ms. Im-Jenkins. They said, ‘We want to be at the table. We want to be part of the process. Civil society and feminist organizations are part of the solution. These decisions can’t be made without our input’”. Dialogue participants wanted governments and businesses to support, recognize, and promote the work of women — especially that of young women and Indigenous women, who are often forgotten — before any partnerships can move forward. “Leaders can be quite disconnected from populations who are quite closely affected. So they really do need to get around the table with those folks”, says Im-Jenkins. “Because it’s easy when you have some distance from it to not really deeply understand what’s happening — what that means for people’s lives, livelihoods, and well-being. I think if leaders had more exposure [and had different input], they would make different decisions.”

Global North donors who support social impact organizations in the Global South should make their funding unrestricted 

Iyad Aljaber, the founder and general manager of IDARE, a youth development non-profit organization based in Jordan, believes Global North donors must be mindful of the realities of the social impact ecosystem in the Global South. 

“Often, unfortunately, the civil society sector in Jordan relies on foreign funding [to survive and to operate]. This means that our NGOs are civil society organizations that may even change their strategies to fit the priorities set by these big actors,” he says. According to him, the yearly priorities of big donors are not always aligned with the biggest priorities of communities in the Global South. “Very often, I would say, we don’t really have this autonomy enough to decide on our priorities without being donor driven. And in a way, this is a challenge,” he says. This situation makes it difficult for NGOs in the Middle East to survive, given that the region already experiences a lot of political instability. 

To counteract this issue, Aljaber has developed a strategy that is based on consultations IDARE did with Jordanian youth. Rather than tailoring programming to funders’ priorities, “we define where we are heading and then we bring all donors or partners [on board]. And then we try to ‘sell’ the idea to donors,” he explains. This approach has been effective thanks to the trust and partnerships his organization has been able to develop with donors over time. 

Meaningfully involve participants with a wide variety of intersecting identities in consultations 

All of IDARE’s initiatives and programming start from consultations with young people. Aljaber is adamant that people conducting these consultations have to be aware of their own biases and take appropriate measures to mitigate the impact of those biases. They should also be humble about their knowledge gaps. “I start by saying ‘I don’t know,’ and it has to be an honest statement. This is number one. No assumptions,” he explains. 

“Second, these focus groups have to be led by young people. I am about 40. If I do it, I have my own way. Even if I were the best youth worker, there will be self contamination in the process. But if I work with a group of young people who lead the process, I am more on the safe side.” Aljaber believes firmly in having real partnerships with youth over simply having youth participation. “Participation of young people may mean [bringing] ten young people [to have] a nice selfie with the minister. This has nothing to do with meaningful participation,” he explains. “I’m talking about partnership, which means having young people sitting at the table with decision makers on the same day.” 

He is also mindful of selecting youth with a variety of intersecting identities, with an emphasis on those who are the most marginalized, in his consultations. “Don’t assume [that] if you bring 10 young people, seven men and three women who are privileged [into a consultation, that it is effective],” he cautions. “Go to marginalized places. Make sure to include people with disabilities and refugees in the focus groups, and have at least 50 per cent women, because more than 70 per cent of public life is occupied by men in Jordan.” For him, rectifying previous injustices in representation of marginalized groups means going beyond simple equality by prioritizing them in the consultation process. 

Adapt SDGs to local contexts

Aljaber believes that the SDGs are too broad to be useful in specific regional contexts. “Of course, we love this sustainable development model, but also we think it should be more localized. For example, spirituality in Jordan is very strong. So we should have a fourth circle about spirituality,” he explains. Even if his organization is non-denominational, he is aware that Jordan is part of the Holy Land, the birthplace of the three major Abrahamic religions. “If you work in Amman, in Jordan, you’ll see religion in daily life. So for example, next month, you will see the Muslim majority, fasting for the month of Ramadan, but you will also see Christians fasting before Easter,” he explains. Mr. Aljaber believes that in order to be effective, the approaches his organization takes to reach the SDGs should take into account the predominance of religion in his local context. 

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