There are moments when global crises do not simply overlap, but converge in ways that create complex, cascading threats. These convergences often become matters of survival, justice, and human security, affecting the social fabric of entire communities. In such moments, the most vulnerable bear the heaviest burden.
In West Africa, women, girls, and gender-diverse individuals continue to face this compounded reality at the intersection of climate change, forced displacement, and entrenched gender inequalities.
On 18 July 2025, a high-level regional webinar will bring scholars, policymakers, and humanitarian actors together to examine these intersecting challenges. The event, titled “Intersecting Crises: Gender, Climate Change and Forced Displacement in West Africa,” is being convened as part of the ongoing work of the International Development Research Centre (IDRC)-supported Research Chairs on Forced Displacement in West Africa.
This initiative is led by Professor Mary B. Setrana, IDRC Chair for Anglophone West Africa, based at the Centre for Migration Studies, University of Ghana, and Dr Tiga Alain Ouedraogo, Chair for Francophone West Africa at Joseph Ki-Zerbo University in Burkina Faso.
Efforts to respond to displacement in the region are becoming increasingly relevant, as climate-related disasters intensify and existing inequalities deepen. According to the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC), Africa witnessed over 16 million internal displacements in 2022, more than half of which were linked to climate events.
West Africa alone recorded 7.4 million of these movements, underscoring the urgency of coordinated and inclusive policy action. These numbers, however, only hint at the complex human realities behind them, realities in which women and girls are disproportionately affected by violence, exclusion, and loss of opportunity.
The upcoming webinar will be chaired by Ms. Roula El-Rifai, Senior Programme Specialist with the Democratic and Inclusive Governance Division at Canada’s IDRC. The event will also feature a panel of distinguished speakers, including Ms. Rita Amukhobu, Head of the Humanitarian Affairs Division at the African Union Commission and Mr. Charles A. Kwenin, CEO of the International Migration Policy Recruitment and Advocacy Centre and former IOM Regional Director for Southern Africa
The webinar will serve as a platform to critically examine the intersections between climate stress, gendered vulnerability, and forced migration. Discussions will explore how structural inequalities and fragmented policy responses continue to shape outcomes for displaced populations across the region. The organisers aim to generate actionable recommendations for gender-sensitive governance and improved humanitarian practice.
The progress made by the IDRC-supported Research Chairs in West Africa demonstrates the importance of regionally grounded, research-led engagement on displacement and social transformation.
This event forms part of an ongoing journey toward advancing justice and inclusion for persons forcibly displaced by climate-related events. Addressing the needs of affected genders demands sustained, collaborative action and policies driven and informed by research and grounded in the lived experiences of those most impacted, as championed by the IDRC Research Chairs. Efforts like this webinar offer much-needed direction for shaping policies and partnerships that protect, empower, and include.
Background
The IDRC Research Chairs on Forced Displacement in West Africa were established to strengthen evidence-based research and influence policy on displacement-related challenges across the region. With a focus on gender, governance, and social transformation, the Chairs operate as part of a broader initiative supported by Canada’s International Development Research Centre (IDRC) to build local research capacity in the Global South.
Based at the Centre for Migration Studies, University of Ghana, the Chair for Anglophone West Africa, led by Professor Mary B. Setrana, conducts interdisciplinary research on forced displacement with particular attention to power dynamics, vulnerable populations, and institutional responses. The Chair for Francophone West Africa, headed by Dr. Tiga Alain Ouedraogo at Joseph Ki-Zerbo University, Burkina Faso, focuses on community resilience and policy adaptation in response to climate-induced displacement.
Together, the two Chairs are contributing to a regional knowledge network that informs more inclusive and equitable approaches to forced displacement in West Africa, with particular emphasis on the gendered dimensions of vulnerability and recovery.
