Leading for resilience: women's leadership in disaster and climate resilience in Vanuatu

There is international recognition that disasters affect people differently. Women do not just experience disasters, they prepare for and respond to them. However, their essential knowledge, skills, resources, and experiences are often insufficiently leveraged for disaster and climate resilience building, including in disaster risk reduction (DRR) and recovery. 

Vanuatu ranks first in the World Risk index (2021) as the most vulnerable to disaster and climate risks. Emerging evidence highlights the critical role women play in Vanuatu, as key first responders, and in supporting and leading communities to better prepare for, respond to, and recover from disasters and threats such as climate change. Despite this recognition, there is still scant evidence on the extent to which, and in what ways, women and women’s organisations have leadership and decision-making roles in disaster and climate resilience.

This research sought to fill this gap through a piloting process in Vanuatu of the ‘Assessing Women’s Leadership in Disaster and Climate Resilience: Framework and Tools.’ This research also resulted in an advocacy document highlighting opportunities to strengthen women's leadership in disaster and climate resilience in Vanuatu.