We, the First Ladies of Africa, gathered at the Second Africa Climate Summit in September 2025 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, stand united in our conviction that the climate crisis and continuing conflicts place an unbearable burden on women and girls across our continent.
These twin forces strip away livelihoods, entrench inequalities, and erode the very foundations of our societies, undermining our shared ambition to secure health, education, security, and dignity for all.
We recognize the impact of climate change in disrupting essential services such as health and education, as well as its role in driving economic insecurity and fueling gender-based violence. This interconnected crisis demands our immediate and united action.
We refuse to allow Africa’s women and girls to carry this weight alone. Today, under the banner of OAFLAD’s flagship campaign “Building Resilience for Women and Girls in the Face of Climate Change and Conflict”, we call upon leaders at national, regional, and global levels to act with urgency, commitment, and resolve.
We urge governments to integrate gender-responsive measures into climate adaptation and peacebuilding frameworks, ensuring that women and girls are not only protected but empowered as drivers of resilience. We call upon development partners and financial institutions to ensure equitable access to climate finance and recovery resources, tailored to the needs of women, youth, and displaced communities.
We further call on civil society, community leaders, and the private sector to work together to advance innovative solutions that uphold the rights and potential of Africa’s women and girls.
As mothers of our continent, advocates, and leaders, we pledge to use our voices and our platforms to garner political will, mobilize resources, shine a light on the everyday struggles faced by women and girls, and to champion solutions that restore hope, provide opportunity, and uphold dignity.
Together, we affirm that Africa’s path to resilience must be rooted in climate justice. Protecting and empowering women and girls is not an option; it is a necessity for sustainable peace, climate action, and the future of our continent.
Stand with us to guarantee that women are not only present at the table but empowered to shape solutions and lead Africa’s fight for climate justice.
This is our Call to Action: Building resilience is not a choice; it is a necessity. Women and girls may carry the heaviest burdens of climate change and conflict, but when given the space and resources, they are powerful drivers of solutions.
📍 8 September 2025
📍 Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
