DUBAI, The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has introduced a new technical assistance program aimed at understanding and mitigating the impacts of heat stress on women and girls in Asia and the Pacific. The initiative, announced today, will involve research and investment in adaptation strategies in Bangladesh, Cambodia, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Tajikistan.
According to Asian Development Bank, the program seeks to identify how rising temperatures disproportionately affect women, hindering their economic productivity and role in food security. ADB President Masatsugu Asakawa, speaking at the launch during COP28, emphasized the necessity of addressing climate change consequences like extreme heat, particularly focusing on women.
The initiative responds to concerns about labor losses and socioeconomic disruptions caused by extreme heat, which disproportionately impact women in vulnerable regions. Former US Secretary of State and Arsht-Rock Global Ambassador for Heat, Health, and Gender Hillary Rodham Clinton, speaking at a panel discussion co-organized by ADB and the Arsht-Rockefeller Foundation Resilience Center, highlighted the importance of addressing these imbalances.
Key figures such as Former President of Mexico Felipe Calderón and Fiji’s Minister for Women, Children, and Poverty Alleviation Lynda Tabuya, also addressed the issue, calling for tailored measures to protect the most vulnerable, particularly in urban areas affected by the urban heat island effect.
The ADB’s commitment involves integrating heat action planning into its operations in vulnerable regions, focusing on enhancing women’s climate resilience and advocating gender-responsive measures. The program aligns with ADB’s goal of providing $100 billion in climate financing from 2019 to 2030, with a significant portion earmarked for adaptation efforts.
This initiative represents ADB’s ongoing commitment to a resilient and sustainable Asia and the Pacific, underlining the bank’s role in combating climate change and its impacts on vulnerable populations, especially women.