” Strengthening the Capacity of Women in Marrakech-Safi, implemented by the Tansift Development Center and its partners and funded by the Global Green Grants Fund”

The project sought to highlight the issues of gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls by introducing Goal (5) of the Sustainable Development Agenda 2030 and by presenting gender disparities in access and control of natural resources, benefits, costs and decision-making between women and men. To this end, five levels have been identified to address the issues addressed during the implementation of this project, as follows:

  • Strengthen the gender approach by identifying historical concepts and contexts for the gender approach, with a focus on Goal 5: Gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls (Sustainable Development Agenda 2030).
  • Identify the relationship between climate change, natural disasters and gender by linking Goal 5 and Goal 13 : Climate Action on the Sustainable Development Agenda 2030.
  • Valuation of natural resources and protection of biodiversity, through the presentation of examples of completed integrated gender-approach projects, with emphasis on Goal (5): gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls and environmental goals 14 and 15 (of the Sustainable Development Agenda 2030).
  • Strengthen water governance and its relationship to gender by highlighting the relationship between Goal (5) and Goal (6) : Water, sanitation and hygiene on the Development Agenda 2030.
  • Identification of the relationship between Goal (5) and Goal (8): Decent Work and Economic Growth in the Development Agenda 2030 while hoping for Women’s Economic Empowerment in Green Jobs.

The Tansift Development Center (CDRT) concluded, Thursday, July 14, 2022, the project “Integrating the Gender Approach in Managing the Risks of Water-related Natural Disasters and Adapting to Climate Change : Capacity-building for women in the Marrakech-Asfi region, which lasted for six months and included many urban and virtual training activities and workshops.

Comments about the project

Ms. Sherine Talaat, North Africa and Middle East Consultant to the Global Greengrants Fund:

The Middle East and North Africa are one of the regions most affected by the consequences of climate change, they pay its bill without contribution in terms of the factors causing global warming. The poorest communities and those in vulnerable situations, especially women and girls, bear the brunt of climate change in economic, social and environmental terms. In this regard, Ms. Sherine Talat, Consultant for the North Africa and the Middle East at the Global Green Grants Fund, stated that the project “Integrating a gender approach in the management of natural water-related disaster risks and adaptation to climate change : Strengthening the capacities of women in the Marrakech-Safi region, implemented by the Tansift Development Center and funded by the Global Green Grants Fund, has strengthened the capacities of women activists in civil society in water management, natural disaster risk management and climate change adaptation at the Marrakech-Safi level (Morocco). Sherine said she was happy with the success of the project, one of the most important fruits of which was raising awareness about the concept of gender and climate action among women working in local civil society. She also emphasized that action to achieve gender equality was the key to addressing the increasing risks posed by climate change. Building on this completed project, the goals we support through the various initiatives under which it has been completed seek to achieve Goal (5) “Gender equality and empowerment of women and girls” as well as Goal (13) “Climate action” within the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda.

Mr. Ahmed Chabouni, President of Tansift Development Center, Marrakech, Morocco.

         For his part, Ahmed Chehbouni, President of the Development Center of the Tansift Region (CDRT), said in a speech during the configurations programmed under this project that women’s civil society is required to be aware of gender issues and to link them to the management of natural resources, especially water resources in the region, as well as the ability to adapt to the risks of natural disasters as a result of climate change in Morocco and in other countries of the world. Chehbouni thanked the Global Greengrants Fund for its pioneering role in serving the issues of local communities in relation to climate, biodiversity and natural resources at all levels, especially in projects that deal with women and social diversity issues and aim to strengthen their abilities to overcome the fragility at local and communal level.

Ms. Houyem GAALOUL, Coordinator of the Arab Network for Gender and Development (ANGED) and Coordinator of the Training Program “Gender Equality in the Development Agenda 2030”, Center for Arab Women Training and Research (CAWTAR), Tunisia.

Following the recommendations of the strategic meeting held in July 2019 by the Arab Women’s Training and Research Center (CAWTAR), which emphasized the need to strengthen the involvement of members of the ANGED Network in the activities of the Center and to involve them in activities and projects that are in line with its objectives and programs. At the initiative of one of the members of the Arab Network for Gender and Development (ANGED), Dr. Youssef El Guamri, CAWTAR was involved in the project “Integration of the gender approach in the management of water-related natural disaster risks and adaptation to climate change : Strengthening the Capacities of Women in the Marrakech-Safi Region, funded by the Global Green Grants Fund. The CAWTAR Partnership was represented by the provision of its e-learning platform, which was launched with the support of the Arab Gulf Development Program (AGFUND), on two occasions for more than 260 members and for members of various civil society associations in the Marrakech-Safi region, with the aim of benefiting from its educational program on “Gender equality in the 2030 agenda.” The CAWTAR Center also held a teleconference with the beneficiaries of the training in order to provide this program as a platform.

The e-training program includes 9 self-learning modules : 1.   Gender equality in the 2030 agenda : introductions to Gender equality in the 2030 agenda , Introduction to the concept of development , 3. Gender equality in the 2030 agenda : Why a new plan , 4. Agenda 2030 : their properties and their sections ; 5. Gender equality in the 2030 agenda ; 6. Information and gender equality in 2030 Agenda ; 7. Civil society and gender equality in 2030 Agenda; 8. Agenda 2030 : Measuring change in the Arab region ; 9. Advocating for gender equality in the 2030 agenda.

CAWTAR offers certificates to participants who complete more than 50% of their training with distinction.

Mr. Hamza Oudghiri, Chairman of the board in charge of communication. The Climate Action Network in the Arab World (CANAW).

President of the Administrative Board of the Climate Action Network in the Arab World (CANAW), Oudghiri, said that the project, implemented by the Tansift Development Center, an active member of the network, seeks to improve the capacities of civil society in the Marrakech-Safi region concerned with environmental issues and to broaden its knowledge of the approach of gender and complex and intersecting environmental issues, which will inevitably make it possible to improve the value of civil advocacy in such critical issues, and contribute to decision-making with various stakeholders in the environmental, institutional and civil affairs, locally, regionally, nationally and internationally. As partners in implementing the completed project, we at the Arab Climate Action Network seek to promote the concept of climate protection and renewable energy, as well as develop strategies to reduce carbon emissions from facilities across the Arab region. The network also focuses on areas related to the protection of geographical areas suffering from water scarcity, climate change and food insecurity in the Arab world. For this purpose, the network was established to enable civil society and geographically distant groups to exchange knowledge, to cooperate in areas of common interest, to advance the climate change sensitization program and its economic and social impact and to enhance their capabilities to effectively drive and mobilize policies to change prevailing ideas for powerful breakthroughs in climate action.

Mr. Imad Saad, President, Abu Dhabi Environment Network (United Arab Emirates).

Emad Saad, President of the Abu Dhabi Environment Network (United Arab Emirates), said that the contribution to the implementation of this project is that the complexity of the environmental issues and the accuracy of the issues related to it requires the unification of efforts on two levels: the first is between associations active in the environmental field to exchange good practices and successful experiences, and the second level is between civil society and all institutional participants who are entrusted with the management of environmental affairs, directly or indirectly, especially elected bodies, professional associations, social partners and economic actors. Thus, the project carried out by the “Tansift Development Center” on issues of gender and climate justice has brought the issues up to speed by uniting the concepts related to gender and natural disasters as a result of climate change among women activists in the Marrakech-Safi region of the Kingdom of Morocco. At one of its community-oriented training sessions, the project focused on the theme: “Green Jobs and Their Role in Promoting Gender Approach,” which answered three central questions: What do green jobs mean? And what does it have to do with gender and sustainable development? What is the role of green jobs in promoting decent work ?

Mr. Youssef El Guamri, Project Coordinator, Tansift Development Center, Marrakech, Morocco.

Mr. Youssef El Guamri, Project Coordinator, Tansift Development Center, funded by the Global Green Grants Fund, said that the main bet through the completed project is to strengthen the capacities of civil society actors in promoting the environment, climate justice, the maturation of ideas, and the formulation of projects that are socially sensitive, realistic, ambitious and applicable. According to the same source, the special project also sought to inform the voice of rural women about the area, which is an essential part of the management and treatment of environmental problems and risks associated with natural disasters as a result of climate change, as well as to contribute to decision-making, and conservation of the region’s ecosystems. For this purpose, women because of their specific capacity can be considered as “drivers of solutions” when they are effectively empowered at all levels. Analysis by the UN has shown that men and women have different coping mechanisms and vulnerabilities to climate change, so it is not surprising that gender dynamics are factored into the design and implementation of strategies for adaptive approaches to climate change.

In conclusion, the participants in the project were jubilant, calling for more similar projects, which strengthen and raise the knowledge and education of women’s civil society and help them deal with future climate change crises at the local, regional and national levels.