The Women, Peace and Security Civil Society Leadership Award - 2022 Call for Nominations

Gender, Climate Change and Conflict

Global Affairs Canada is issuing a call for nominations for Canada’s Women, Peace and Security (WPS) Civil Society Leadership Award for 2022.

This award marks the second year of the WPS Awards Program announced by the Minister of Foreign Affairs on October 30, 2020. The program also includes a research award led by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), which distributes a separate call for applications (contact info below).

Two winners will be selected each year, one from the International Category and one from the National Category. A Canadian winner will be selected for the National Category to demonstrate Canada’s desire to advance climate security and the WPS agenda within our own borders.

Background

Recognized by the UN Security Council as a significant ‘threat multiplier’^{Footnote 1}, climate change contributes to heightened fragility posing both an immediate and future global peace and security risk. According to the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security, climate change exacerbates conflict by aggravating pre-existing and underlying tensions including weak governance and poor social cohesion, while pressuring already strained natural resources and increasing food and livelihood insecurity. In turn, intensified natural resource-related conflicts^{Footnote 2}, instability, forced displacement, and exploitation by armed groups intensify environmental degradation and increase the vulnerability of communities to climate change-related shocks.^{Footnote 3}

While climate change may not directly or inevitably lead to conflict, it can further destabilize fragile and conflict-affected settings, and undermine peace and security in climate-impacted communities. Droughts in Eastern Africa, climate-related emergencies in South and South-East Asia, and climate change-related water scarcity in refugee communities are examples of different settings in which the climate-conflict nexus has been noted.

Climate change and conflict affect everyone, but not equally. Deeply rooted gender norms and power dynamics influence the disproportionate exposure of women and girls to climate change hazards, hinder their ability to cope with the associated threats to their security, and exclude them from meaningful participation in the solutions. The consequences of climate change on women and girls are not only experienced by heightened levels of vulnerability, but also in added burden. These impacts are intensified further for women and girls belonging to groups experiencing multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination and marginalization, especially in Indigenous and ethnic minority communities.

Despite the disproportionate challenges they face, women at the grassroots are not solely victims of conflict or climate threats; they are uniquely positioned to contribute their localized knowledge and perspectives to achieve sustainable natural resource management, climate-resilient communities, and enhanced peace and stability.^{Footnote 4} The WPS agenda recognizes the unique impacts of conflict and insecurity on women and girls,  and the importance of ensuring their full, equal, and meaningful participation in decision-making on peace and security issues. When women participate in peacebuilding, the probability of peace agreements lasting is significantly increased; similarly, promoting the contributions and capacity of women in environmental peacebuilding and natural resource-related conflict resolution, can accelerate gains across peace, conservation, and sustainability, and more effectively mitigate climate-conflict risks.^{Footnote 5}

Definition and eligible nominees

The theme of this year’s WPS Civil Society Leadership Award is Gender, Climate Change and Conflict. For the purposes of this call for nominations, the theme seeks to highlight the gendered impacts of climate change-related insecurity and conflict, especially on women and girls, and women’s participation in addressing these issues.  

The award will recognize work by individuals, organizations, and networks who have made outstanding contributions to advancing:

• Gender-responsive approaches to identifying and addressing the impacts of climate change-related insecurity and conflict, particularly in relation to the safety and security of women and girls, including, for example, those who are internally displaced and refugees; and/or
• The active and meaningful participation of women in climate security-related efforts and decision-making processes.

These contributions can include or address, for example:

• Innovative and localized efforts to address the impacts of peace and security challenges related to climate change, including peacebuilding activities;
• Initiatives to address insecurities that have been linked to climate change vulnerabilities of women, girls, and gender diverse people, including conflict prevention, conflict resolution and peacebuilding efforts;
• Women leaders, women peacebuilders, women human rights defenders, women’s rights organizations and eco-feminist movements working to influence policies and decision-makers to address climate-related insecurity or conflict;
• Women leaders, women peacebuilders, women human rights defenders, women’s rights organizations and eco-feminist movements working to mitigate and prevent climate-related conflicts;
• Preventing violence against women, girls and vulnerable groups active in this area.

Selection criteria

The Award aims to recognize the important role that civil society plays in addressing the gendered impacts of climate change-related insecurity and conflict and increasing women’s participation in related efforts and decision-making processes. Candidates who fulfill the following criteria are eligible for nomination:

1. Entity: Individuals, civil society organizations and networks are eligible. Organizations and networks do not need to be legally incorporated to be eligible. Unless otherwise specified, candidates can be of any gender.
2. Achievement: The nominee has made an outstanding contribution to advancing a gender-responsive approach to addressing the impacts of climate change on peace and security and/or the active and meaningful participation of women in climate security. What defines “outstanding” is contextual, but, as a minimum, nominations must demonstrate tangible results that can have a lasting impact.
3. Leadership: The candidate has demonstrated leadership through concrete action, for example through collaboration, mobilizing others, taking initiative, being innovative, or inspiring others through courage and commitment.
4. Grassroots: The candidate is active at the grassroots (community or local) level. An example is an actor who works with members of local communities in an inclusive and participatory manner. An actor who is active at the grassroots level, but whose achievement is expressed at the national, regional or international level, is also eligible.
5. Diversity: Preference may be given to candidates who face challenges to participation in peace and security efforts and decision-making processes due to race, colour, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, marital status, family status, genetic characteristics, national or ethnic origin, religion, mental or physical disability, and the intersection of these or other identity factors.
6. Indigenous Teachings: Indigenous peoples have lived – and continue to live – in the land we now call Canada since long before the Europeans arrived. In recognition of their knowledge and values, the decisions of the selection committee will also be informed by the Indigenous teachings put forward by Indigenous members of the committee. For example, this could include the Seven Sacred Grandfather Teachings (bravery, honesty, humility, love, respect, truth, and wisdom).

Deadline: The deadline for nominations is 11:59pm EST on 5 August 2022.

Submission procedure: To nominate individuals, organizations or networks, please fill out and submit the nomination form to WPS-FPS@international.gc.ca. Applications should be submitted in electronic copy (MS Word or PDF). Self-nominations are not accepted, and an organization or network cannot be nominated by one of its members. Submissions can be made in English or French. Please ensure that the nominee has agreed to being nominated.

The award winners will be identified and informed by end of September 2022. A dedicated awards ceremony to honour the winners will take place virtually or in Ottawa in the fall/winter of 2022-23. The work of winners will be showcased, and, if possible, additional meetings organized to provide laureates with further opportunities for recognition, professional exchanges and networking.

For information about the WPS Research Award, please contact IDRC at wpsaward@idrc.ca.