Moving with dignity: Women leading Fiji’s climate adaptation journey

This publication brings together voices from the ground and highlights why human mobility in the context of climate change is inherently gendered: social norms and unequal access to resources shape who participates in decision-making, who bears the burden of change, and whose priorities are reflected in relocation planning.

As climate change reshapes lives, livelihoods, and entire settlements communities in Fiji, planned relocation has become a lived reality for many. Yet moving is never just about infrastructure or geography – it is about identity, culture, power relations, and everyday responsibilities. This report also shows that women, in all their diversity, are not only disproportionately affected by climate impacts, but are also key agents of inclusive resilience – leading dialogue, reinforcing social cohesion, and helping design relocation processes that uphold dignity, equity and justice.