On the occasion of International Women's Day 2026, celebrated around the global theme "Rights, Justice and Action for all women and girls", the ECOWAS Commission has placed the regional debate under a strategic angle: that of climate justice for women.

The chosen sub-theme, “Advancing rights, justice, and action for all women and girls in the context of climate change and ecological transitions in West Africa,” set the tone for a ceremony marked by clear commitments. At the heart of this dynamic, the address by the Honorable Fatou Sarr Sow, Commissioner for Human Development and Social Affairs, was the highlight of the celebration.

An ecological transition to correct inequalities

In a speech that was both political and instructive, Fatou Sarr Sow made a clear-eyed observation: despite progress in equality, women and young people continue to face persistent legal, economic, and social barriers. In West Africa, a region particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change, natural disasters, land degradation, and forced displacement disproportionately affect women.

Yet, she reminded everyone, they are at the heart of resilience mechanisms: natural resource management, agricultural adaptation, and community cohesion. "National laws, policies, and strategic frameworks continue to fail to systematically integrate the specific needs of women and girls," she emphasized.

Therefore, the Commissioner calls for a profound transformation of climate policies through equitable access to land, technologies, and green finance. Her conviction is unequivocal: "There can be no successful ecological transition without gender justice."

From commitment to structuring programs

Fatou Sarr Sow's intervention also served to highlight the progress made by ECOWAS, in partnership with UN Women: the adoption of the Gender Strategy 2020–2030 for Disaster Risk Reduction, a Regional Roadmap on Women and Climate Change, and the launch, in 2025, of a West African Community of Practice on Gender and the Green Economy.

The Commissioner also commended national initiatives, including the allocation of 30% of the local development support fund to empower women in areas impacted by extractive industries; a concrete measure championed by the Minister of Energy, Mines and Petroleum, Birame Souleye Diop.

A strengthened institutional commitment

Speaking on behalf of the President of the ECOWAS Commission, Dr. Omar Alieu Touray, the Resident Representative in Senegal, H.E. Ms. Zelma Yolande Nobre Fassinou, reaffirmed the institution's commitment to building sustainable initiatives.

The event, organized by the ECOWAS Centre for Gender Development (ECGDD), brought together ministries, women's organizations, and young activists. Beyond its symbolic significance, this day carried a strong political message: the ecological transition in West Africa will only be truly transformative if it establishes gender justice as a founding principle.