At the Conference of Youth, Punjab Chapter 2025, Mr. Omer Bangash, Advisor for Food and Nutrition Security at Welthungerhilfe Pakistan, argued that gender justice is essential to building climate resilience and achieving zero hunger. He made the case that empowering women and addressing gender inequities are both moral obligations and practical strategies for creating stronger, fairer, and more resilient communities. Delegates left the session urged to place gender equity at the center of climate and food-security efforts.
Mr. Bangash’s presentation, titled “How Gender Justice Can Advance Climate Resilience and Zero Hunger,” connected the dots between gender equality, food security, and the capacity of communities to withstand climate shocks. He emphasized that women’s participation and leadership in agriculture, resource management, and policymaking directly improve household nutrition and community-level resilience.
The talk highlighted the structural barriers that limit women’s access to land, finance, technology, and decision-making, and explained how removing those barriers strengthens food systems and reduces vulnerability to climate impacts. Mr. Bangash framed gender justice as both a human-rights imperative and a strategic investment that yields tangible benefits for climate adaptation and hunger reduction.
Delegates responded by acknowledging the need to uplift marginalized voices and redesign climate action strategies to be gender-responsive. The session called on policymakers, development organizations, and youth leaders to integrate gender lenses into program design, resource allocation, and community engagement to ensure equitable and effective outcomes.
The session reinforced the central message that achieving climate goals and ending hunger requires intentional efforts to dismantle inequality and empower women at every level of planning and implementation.
