Enhancing women’s leadership to address the challenges of climate change on nutrition security and health

This paper addresses the role that women can play in mitigating health and nutrition risks through their incorporation in the climate change adaptation (CCA) process. The paper contains five key messages: (i) that the incorporation of women in CCA can significantly reduce the vulnerability of a community to the risks associated with climate change; (ii) that women's capacity to contribute to CCA can be greatly enhanced by improved gender equality, including the incorporation of women in decision-making; (iii) that the facilitation of maternal and child nutrition services are vital to the resilience of the community; (iv) that strengthening women’s roles in promoting sustainable and diverse diets, resilient livelihoods, local food systems and climate-smart agriculture is vital to community food security; (v) and that the protection and enhancement of healthcare is necessary to mitigate the negative effects of climate change on health.