How investing in women's leadership strengthens climate resilience

Introduction

Climate resilience depends not only on infrastructure, technology, and finance, but also on who participates in decisions and whose voices shape solutions. In Pacific island countries, climate shocks often intersect with women’s responsibilities for caregiving, food production, water management, livelihoods, and community recovery. Yet many women face barriers to leadership and decision-making, limiting their ability to shape the solutions their communities need.

Evidence suggests that women’s participation in decision-making can contribute to stronger environmental and climate outcomes. Greater representation of women has been associated with stronger environmental policies, improved conservation outcomes, and greater investment in public services that support resilience ( Norgaard and York, 2005 ; Agarwal, 2009 ; Chattopadhyay and Duflo, 2004 ; Salamon, 2023 ). The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (2022) similarly identifies inclusive governance and women’s meaningful participation as important enablers of effective adaptation. But representation alone is not enough: women also need the confidence, skills, resources, and institutional support to influence decisions and lead change.

With support from the UK Government’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), the Asian Development Bank, through the Urban Resilience Trust Fund , [1] is advancing the Asia-Pacific Support for Promoting Innovation and Resilience in Environmental Leadership for Women (ASPIRE for Women) initiative to strengthen women’s leadership in climate action. The first Women’s Leadership and Climate Resilience Training, delivered in Fiji in April 2026 under the initiative, explored a practical question: Can strengthening women’s agency, confidence, and climate knowledge help develop more effective climate leaders and contribute to more resilient and inclusive communities? 

Designing a Leadership Program for Climate Resilience

The first ASPIRE for Women training in Fiji was built around a simple premise: technical climate knowledge alone does not automatically translate into leadership. Women may understand climate risks and solutions but still hesitate to speak up, influence decisions, or take on leadership roles without sufficient confidence, agency, and institutional support.

Rather than treating leadership and climate resilience as separate subjects, the program deliberately integrated them. The training brought together 23 early- to mid-career women professionals and civil servants from Fiji National University (FNU) and government agencies working across environment and climate change, agriculture, forestry, iTaukei affairs, and strategic planning.

The curriculum combined gender equality and social inclusion (GESI), women’s leadership, climate resilience and adaptation, personal agency and goal setting, and confidence building. Through interactive workshops, facilitated discussions, guided self-reflection, and practical leadership exercises, participants connected technical climate knowledge with their own experiences and leadership aspirations.

The training built on participants’ existing strengths while addressing specific gaps in leadership and climate-related competencies. Its participatory approach integrated personal development, confidence building, and leadership practice with climate resilience learning.

What the Training Demonstrated

Early survey results suggest that combining leadership development with technical climate training can strengthen participants’ confidence in their climate-related knowledge and skills.

Before the training, 26% of participants reported feeling confident in their understanding of the relationship between gender equality and climate change; after the training, this rose to 67%. Favorable responses on confidence in climate knowledge and skills also increased, from 30% to 61%.

Participants’ reflections provided additional insight into these changes. Many described gaining greater confidence, a stronger sense of self-worth, a better understanding of how to overcome fear and failure, and practical strategies for self-care and personal growth. These reflections suggest that agency and self-efficacy can play an important role in whether women feel equipped to apply their knowledge, influence decisions, and contribute to change.

The findings suggest that strengthening confidence and agency alongside technical knowledge can help women feel better equipped to apply what they know and participate in climate leadership.

Lessons for Climate Leadership Programs

• Integrate leadership development with technical training. Climate resilience programs often emphasize technical knowledge and skills. The Fiji training suggests that confidence, agency, communication, and self-awareness are also important for enabling women to influence decisions and lead change.
• Measure long-term outcomes, not just participation. Participation alone does not demonstrate lasting impact. Future programs should assess whether participants assume leadership roles, influence policies, mentor others, or integrate climate resilience into their work. The ASPIRE for Women initiative will track these indicators to better understand whether the program contributes to sustainable climate leadership.
• Create enabling institutional environments. Training alone may not address the institutional barriers women face. Supportive workplaces, mentors, and leaders who promote gender equality and create opportunities for women to lead can help participants apply their skills in practice.
• Invest in long-term partnerships. Embedding programs within local institutions can help sustain and expand their impact beyond individual training activities. The new partnership with FNU, for example, provides an opportunity to expand the program's reach, refine the curriculum over time, and strengthen local capacity to sustain it.

Looking Ahead

In the Pacific, the next phase of ASPIRE for Women aims to build on the Fiji training by establishing a long-term leadership program. To support this effort, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and FNU signed a Knowledge Partnership Agreement (KPA) in May 2026 to institutionalize the Women’s Leadership and Climate Resilience Training. Embedding the program within the university will help expand its reach, strengthen local ownership, and build long-term capacity for women leaders in the Pacific through a diploma program in women’s leadership and climate resilience.

As countries and development partners invest in climate adaptation and resilience, strengthening women’s leadership should be viewed not as a parallel social objective but as an integral part of building resilient communities. The Fiji training suggests that investing in women’s confidence, skills, and opportunities to lead can be an important part of that effort.