Localising national gender and climate policy in Uganda: evidence portfolio

Uganda is the 13th most vulnerable country to the impact of climate change, and this impact is felt most harshly by women and other marginalised groups. Uganda’s national adaptation plan recognises this, but solutions proposed at the national level do not always translate into action at the local level. The Localising National Gender and Climate Policy in Uganda project was funded by the British Academy and delivered in partnership between Nottingham Trent University, Makerere University and the Women’s International Peace Centre. It co-produced knowledge about the impact of climate change on women’s lives and their pathways to climate resilience with (i) women refugees (ii) women displaced by climate change to urban areas (iii) women subsistence farmers in selected communities. Local and national policy-makers were involved in the project from research design through to dissemination, as a key part of a strategy to inform policy-making and implementation at local and national level. The portfolio comprises data and evidence collected from national and local stakeholders and women in the Ugandan districts of Adjumani, Mbale and Kasese. Feminist participatory research methods were used to investigate the obstacles to women’s participation in climate decision-making and privilege their voices and life experiences in proposals for change. Fieldwork took place between December 2024 and December 2025, generating interview transcripts, field notes and reports from interviews, stakeholder meetings and focus groups. Data were used in the production of posters for local communities, reports, a series of policy briefings and an illustrations booklet to document how climate shocks such as flooding, prolonged droughts, heatwaves, and environmental degradation shape women’s daily lives, livelihoods, health, and care responsibilities, while also highlighting their resilience, knowledge, and adaptive strategies.