Reimagining Climate Resilience: Gender-Transformative Pathways for Inclusive and Equitable Climate Adaptation

DATE: 23 October 2026	VENUE: Skyz Hotel, Kampala, Uganda
FORMAT: One-day, Hybrid Symposium	ABSTRACT DEADLINE: 5th September 2026

Researchers, practitioners, policymakers, civil society actors, community-based organizations, students, and other knowledge holders are invited to submit abstracts for paper presentations at a research symposium on gender-transformative approaches to climate adaptation and resilience. The symposium will bring evidence, policy, community knowledge, and practice into conversation. It seeks contributions that examine how climate adaptation can move beyond technical responses to address the gendered and intersecting inequalities that shape vulnerability, agency, and resilience.

About the symposium

Climate change is reshaping livelihoods, food systems, access to land and water, care responsibilities, migration patterns, household relations, and community well-being. These effects are not experienced equally. Gender, age, disability, class, location, and access to resources influence exposure to climate risk and the capacity to respond.

Drawing inspiration from the WOSFER Project: “Building Women Smallholder Farmers’ Empowerment and Adaptive Capacities: A Pathway for Strengthening Resilience to Climate Shocks in Uganda”—the symposium will create a learning and reflection space for advancing climate justice, gender equality, and locally grounded adaptation. The project is hosted by Makerere University, Institute of Gender and Development Studies in collaboration with the Association of Uganda Professional Women in Agriculture and Environment (AUPWAE).

Symposium objectives

• Share research findings, lessons, and practical experiences on gender-transformative climate adaptation and resilience.
• Strengthen dialogue among community representatives, researchers, policymakers, practitioners, civil society, and development partners.
• Identify opportunities for scaling and institutionalizing gender-transformative approaches in Uganda and beyond.
• Generate actionable recommendations for climate policy, adaptation programming, research, and community-based practice.

Thematic areas

1.  Gender, power and climate vulnerability

To explore how climate risks are experienced differently by women, men, youth, persons with disabilities and other marginalized groups. Examine how access to land, income, labour, information, services and decision-making power shapes people’s ability to adapt.

2.  Local and indigenous knowledge systems for climate resilience

Focus on whose knowledge counts in adaptation planning and implementation. Highlight farmer knowledge, women lived experiences, youth perspectives and community-generated solutions as legitimate sources of climate adaptation knowledge

3.  Gender Inclusive digital revolution and climate resilience

To examine how gender-transformative work with men and boys can support more equitable household relations, shared care and productive roles, joint planning and reduced resistance to women’s leadership in climate adaptation

4.  Gender transformative interventions for climate adaptation

To showcase practical tools and approaches such as GALS, community dialogues, participatory planning, peer learning, climate smart agriculture, digital climate information and locally led adaptation models.

5.  Masculinities and gender equitable adaptation

This session will examine how the linkage between masculinities and climate adaptation and resilience and the value of gender-transformative work with men and boys in reshaping masculinities to foster equitable climate adaptation and resilience.

We welcome contributions that

• Present empirical research, conceptual insights, policy analysis, programme learnings, or community-based evidence.
  • Use qualitative, quantitative, mixed, participatory, feminist, or Indigenous and local knowledge approaches.
  • Critically examine both enabling conditions and barriers to gender-transformative adaptation.
  • Offer practical lessons for policy, programming, institutional change, scale-up, or future research.
  • Centre experiences from Uganda and Africa, while also drawing relevant comparative or international insights.

Abstract submission guidelines

Item	Requirement
Author details	Name(s), institutional or organizational affiliation(s), email address, and telephone contact of the corresponding author
Theme	Indicate the most relevant thematic area (1–4)
Keywords	Provide three to five keywords
Language	English
Submission format	Microsoft Word document
Publication Status	Whether the work has been published or not

Selection criteria

Abstracts will be reviewed for:

• Relevance to the symposium theme and one or more thematic areas;
  • Clarity of the purpose, approach, findings or argument;
  • Attention to gender, power, intersectionality, inclusion, or equity;
  • Originality and contribution to knowledge, policy, or practice; and
  • Potential to stimulate learning and dialogue among diverse symposium participants.

Presentation format

Selected contributors will give an oral paper presentation of approximately 15 minutes, followed by discussion. Presenters may also be invited to contribute to thematic breakout sessions, panel discussions, Poster presentations, the learning marketplace, the symposium report, or a post-symposium publication. We have both physical and virtual presentations.

Registration is free.

Key dates

Milestone	Date
Call opens	16th August 2026
Abstract submission deadline	5th September 2026, 5.00 PM EAT
Notification of decision	15th September 2026
Submission of slides or full paper, if required	15th October 2026
Symposium	23 October 2026

How to submit

Submit your abstract by email to flora.muhanguzi@gmail.com copy to peruthannet@gmail.com with the subject line “Symposium Paper Abstract – [Lead Author’s Name]”.

For inquiries, contact: Prof. Florence Muhanguzi Kyoheirwe, flora.muhanguzi@gmail.com or Ms.Peruth Naturinda on peruthannet@gmail.com