About

ActionAid is funding a study on climate change and women in Melanesia.  The purpose of the research is twofold:

• To assess the capacity of women in Melanesia to claim their rights in the face of climate change; and
• To assess opportunities for ActionAid to support women in this process.

The study is guided by the following research questions:

1. What rights do women have and how are they impacted by climate change?
2. How do women currently cope and adapt to climate change? What traditional and modern knowledge/practices do they draw on? How effective are these in protecting livelihoods?
3. What political, cultural, economic or social structures act as opportunities and/or barriers to women effectively adapting to climate change?
4. Who are the key actors, organisations and institutions responsible for women’s security? What challenges and gaps do they face in protecting women’s rights?
5. To what extent are climate change policies and strategies at national, district and local levels rights-based and gender-responsive?
6. What capacity do women and women’s groups have in influencing duty bearers and creating long term social change in the area of climate change and disaster risk management?

The scope of the study is two Melanesian countries: Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands.  The study uses a rights-based approach to understand the challenges and opportunities that women face in relation to climate change.

The study involves four key stages:

• Project Inception and Research Design Phase (November 2010 – May 2011);
• Fieldwork (June – August);
• Data Analysis and Development of Recommendations (September-October); and
• Final Research Report and Project Completion (November).

Research Partners

The study will be conducted in partnership with the University of Sydney’s Masters of Human Rights and Democratisation Program, Bismarck Ramu Group (PNG) and Solomon Islands Development Trust (Solomon Islands).

Research Outcomes

A final research report will be prepared as part of the project. The findings from the study will inform the work of ActionAid and partner organisations, and how they engage and work with women and their communities in Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands. The participating communities will be able to use the findings from the study to make informed decisions about their response and actions on climate change impacts.  The study will also have information that will be of interest to non-governmental organisations, donors and research institutions in the Pacific region.