Hillary Clinton, former US secretary of state has said that women in the informal sector suffer increased heat caused by climate change and that a worldwide “Climate Resilience Fund” will help address the problem.
Speaking to the Self-Employed Women’s Association (SEWA) members in Ahmedabad on the first day of her two-day visit to the state, Clinton said that a group of concerned individuals had joined together to help create the climate resilience fund, which would be the first of its type in the world.
“You’ve overcome so many challenges and broken down so many boundaries,”she said at the celebration to honour SEWA’s founding member and well-known social activist Ela Bhatt. “However, you also have to deal with the heat, which is a difficulty posed by climate change”.
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Speaking further, she said, “your challenge to make an income to support yourselves and work throughout the days of overwhelming heat will be the next big problem that SEWA will help you try to resolve. Whether you’re in construction, waste recycling, plastic, or a street vendor, farmer, or whatever you are, your challenge is to make an income to support yourselves and work throughout the days of overwhelming heat.”
Reemaben Nanavati, the director of SEWA and Hillary Clinton reportedly spoke about the ongoing crisis since it would have an impact on every employment that SEWA members represent.
The Clinton Global Initiative, Rockefeller Foundation Resilience Center, Algorand Foundation, Council for Inclusive Capitalism and the American India Foundation will collaborate with SEWA on the Global Climate Resilience Fund, according to Clinton.
“These are some of the partners SEWA will work with to start addressing this increasing problem. Since this is a problem that affects more than just SEWA, we will be collaborating with them over the coming months and years, as well as with all of these other committed organizations” she explained.
She further maintained that everyone who needs to work outside in the heat, such as police officers, firemen, and individuals from all different walks of life, would require the type of assistance and support that this SEWA-initiated project will offer.
Story was adapted from Krishigran.
