(in photo above) The participants of the Gender Equality and Inclusion (GEI) Workshop held in Kigali, Rwanda. 

From September 16 to 20, 2024, two ICLEI Southeast Asia staff members participated in the Climate Adaptation and Resilience (CLARE) Gender Equality and Inclusion (GEI) Workshop held in Kigali, Rwanda. 

Hosted at the Park Inn Hotel, the five-day gathering brought together early career researchers and GEI focal points from across the CLARE program. The goal was simple: learn from one another and build practical tools for weaving gender equality and inclusion into climate resilience work. The workshop combined personal reflection, peer learning, and grounded methods to encourage long-term, meaningful integration of GEI into project planning and implementation. 

Kristianne Jemi Santos, Senior Project Officer, and Lendl Meniado, Project Officer, represented ICLEI Southeast Asia in the workshop through the Enhancing Local Capacities in Socially Inclusive Resilience in Asia (SIRA) project. 

Sessions dived into the links between gender and climate vulnerability, intersectionality, and power dynamics among other themes. Gender-sensitive data collection, research methods, and institutional influencing  

Kristianne Jemi Santos (right), Senior Project Officer , and Lendl Meniado (left), Project Officer, represented ICLEI Southeast Asia in the workshop. 

Marketplace and world café workshops also allowed participants to share their CLARE project experiences and ideas on GEI challenges and solutions. 

A field visit also brought the participants out of the classroom to the Nyamirambo Women’s Centre, an NGO supporting women’s livelihood through skills training and advocacy. A walking tour of the neighborhood offered insights into community-based work and women-led enterprises. 

The SIRA project aims to identify and address the immediate capacity needs of local governments in pursuing climate action that is inclusive and sustainable through a systematic and phased capacity strengthening programme anchored on south-south cooperation among four Asian countries: Bangladesh, Indonesia, Nepal, and the Philippines.