Central America is a region highly vulnerable to climate change and other disaster risks. The impacts on the territory and on the population are increasingly severe, exacerbated by high levels of environmental degradation that cause water scarcity, loss of livelihoods, food insecurity, forced displacement and migration, fostering environmental conflicts over use and access to natural resources.

Rural and indigenous women are among the most vulnerable groups. They live in the poorest households; have less access to information, resources and decision-making spaces. In addition, during conflicts and disaster emergencies, women and girls are more vulnerable to gender-based violence.

The region has regional and national laws, policies and instances that promote gender equality. However, few concrete actions consider women's strategic interests in climate change adaptation, gender-based violence and conflict management. This project will support the reduction of those gaps, and will contribute with concrete actions to mitigate the local conflict aggravated by the socio-political crises that affect the region.

To implement this project, Switzerland and the Huairou Commission form a strategic alliance contributing their experiences, instruments and networks to empower women.

Huairou Commission (Huairou) is an international NGO created from a global coalition of women leaders, made up of seven networks present in more than 30 countries. It seeks to empower grassroots women to improve their community development practices, influence public policies and defend their rights.

The global presence of Huairou and its strong alliances with the main women's networks worldwide, with multilateral organizations (World Bank, United Nations agencies, such as UN-Habitat, UNWomen, UNRRD), and international cooperation agencies, will contribute to strengthening South-South cooperation among women in Central America and other regions, by scaling up the practices and methodologies promoted by Switzerland in this project.

• 2,000 women and their families (~ 10,000 people) rural, indigenous and poor living in areas of social exclusion.
• Vulnerable population of 80 communities (~ 5,000 people) where the CCA, CSPM and GBV practices are replicated
• 5 grassroots women's organizations:
• Guatemala Foundation; Community Platform, Committee and Networks of Honduras (WAGUCHA by its Spanish acronym); Las Brumas Women's Cooperatives Union in Nicaragua; Salvadoran Association for the Promotion of Women and Alliance of Costa Rican Women

• Empowered and informed grassroots women adopt effective climate adaptation practices in their farms, communities and municipalities.
• Strengthened grassroots women's organizations influence the regional and local public agenda by including their strategic interests to facilitate their adaptation to climate change, addressing gender violence and related conflicts.
• Local and regional actors, public and private, academia and women's organizations dialogue and seek joint solutions for conflict prevention, gender-based violence and the construction of peace processes that improve levels of trust, tolerance and social cohesion in selected communities.

Risultati principali attesi:  

• 2,000 women trained in CCA, Conflict Sensitive Project Management (CSPM) and gender-based violence (GBV);
• 1,000 families apply new CCA practices (soil and water conservation works, diversification of productive activities, risk mapping, protection of water sources, etc.)
• In 40 additional communities practices are replicated through the resilience fund;
• 2 grassroots women’s organizations certified to the green climate fund;
• 40 Local dialogue spaces to identify and prevent conflicts in use;
• Women and their families affected by GBV receive psychosocial, medical and legal support.
• A regional platform and 5 national platforms “communities of practice” set in place..

Coordination and alliances with:

Commission of Women's Ministers of Central America (COMMCA), Central American Commission for Environment and Development (CCAD), Commission for Natural Disaster Prevention in Central America (CEPREDENAC), national risk management systems and women's ministries. Global network of women peacebuilders (GNWP). https://gnwp.org/partnerssupporters

Fase 1 01.10.2019 - 30.09.2023   (Completed)