P20 Meeting of Women Parliamentarians Calls for Gender-Responsive Climate Action

The Second P20 Meeting of Women Parliamentarians which started yesterday at Arabella Hotel in Kleinmond called for gender-responsive climate action.

The meeting brought together women Members of Parliament (MPs) from G20 countries to share experiences and shape solutions in the lead-up to the 11th P20 Speakers’ Summit, scheduled for 1 to 3 October 2025.

In her opening address, the Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly, Dr Annelie Lotriet, highlighted the need for gender-responsive climate action. She noted that although women and girls bear the greatest burden of climate change, they remain under-represented in decision-making. At COP28, only 15 of 133 heads of delegation were women, despite women constituting nearly 80% of those displaced by climate-related disasters, the Deputy Speaker told delegates.

Dr Lotriet urged parliamentarians to champion gender-responsive climate laws and budgets, particularly for rural women; to fund women-led climate initiatives; to ensure fair access to land, water and energy; and to strengthen parliamentary oversight to hold governments accountable for inclusive climate action. “Women are not only stakeholders, they are leaders. We must translate policy into action, and it must begin now,” she said.

Also addressing the meeting, the Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities, Ms Liezl van der Merwe, called on women parliamentarians to unite in breaking down the barriers that hinder women’s full participation. She urged delegates to eradicate poverty by recognising and valuing women’s unpaid labour; to promote economic empowerment; to remove discriminatory laws; to enforce gender-responsive budgets; and to prioritise girls’ education by addressing barriers such as child marriage and period poverty.

Ms van der Merwe stressed that gender equality is a human rights imperative and the foundation for peace, growth and sustainability. She called on women parliamentarians to translate commitments into tangible change.

In a message of support, the Director for Member Parliaments and External Relations at the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), Ms Anda Filip, told delegates that parity must become the norm rather than the exception. She noted that earlier this year, the IPU Conference of Women Parliamentarians adopted a comprehensive Plan of Action for Parity. This plan provides a practical toolbox to accelerate equality through quotas, zero tolerance for harassment and accountability mechanisms to ensure the enforcement of commitments. “We cannot hope to deliver global solidarity while women remain under-represented in peace processes and parliaments,” Ms Filip said.

The meeting of women parliamentarians continues tomorrow and will include discussions on gender-sensitive budgeting and the challenges women face in accessing agricultural finance.

Masego Dlula

30 September 2025