MEDIA ADVISORY | Photo Exhibit and Dialogues With Adaptation Decision-Makers in Jamaica

KINGSTON, JAMAICA, AUGUST 18, 2023—Visual storytelling is a useful tool that engages decision-makers to influence and better inform national climate action. The Envisioning Resilience initiative is hosting an exhibit and roundtable dialogues on Friday, August 18, at the Terra Nova Hotel in Kingston to showcase Jamaican women’s photography and stories about their experiences with climate change and visions of resilience. This event is open to the media and will include the active participation of decision-makers for Jamaica’s National Adaptation Plan (NAP), a critical process that countries follow to build the resilience of their ecosystems, economies, and communities to the impacts of climate change. 

Date: Friday, August 18, 2023
Location: Terra Nova Hotel, Kingston, Jamaica
Time: 9:00 a.m. (GMT-5)

“As women on the front lines of climate change are often underrepresented in national decision making, having this opportunity to amplify their voices in Jamaica’s National Adaptation Plan is exceptional,” said Orville Grey, Head of Secretariat, NAP Global Network. Grey will be attending the event: “I look forward to discussions that will stem from a new understanding of women’s lived experiences with climate change and their priorities for adaptation.” 

Over the last few months, six young Jamaican women have been training in photography and storytelling and learning to recognize the effects of climate change in their everyday lives. They will now present their stories to government and other decision-makers involved in adaptation planning in Jamaica. “We are setting an example for young women, showing them that we can lead change in climate action,” said Ann-Marie Allen, an Envisioning Resilience trainee photographer. “I can’t wait to show Jamaica and the world how climate change is impacting our lives through photography.” 

The Envisioning Resilience initiative enables a more inclusive approach to the NAP process by providing an appropriate space and a common language for decision-makers and young women who are experiencing climate change to talk about its impacts and strategies for building resilience. Funded by Global Affairs Canada, Envisioning Resilience is an initiative of the NAP Global Network, Lensational, and GirlsCARE.  

Jamaica is well on its way to having an inclusive, systematic, and participatory NAP process designed to scale up the implementation of adaptation action across the country. The country’s NAP document is being developed, and the Gender and Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan launched last year. Following these roundtable dialogues, adaptation decision-makers will have a better understanding of the unique climate change vulnerabilities, adaptation priorities, and ongoing collective action of young Jamaican women. They will integrate these lessons into the NAP process and have the chance to further improve their gender-responsive approach to climate action. 

We invite media to join this event to experience the visual stories of Envisioning Resilience and witness one-of-a-kind conversations between government and Jamaican citizens that will contribute to achieving gender-responsive adaptation. 

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Quotes 

Angie Dazé, Director, Gender Equality and Social Inclusion for Resilience, NAP Global Network, International Institute for Sustainable Development 

• “Women disproportionately suffer the consequences of climate change due to the inequitable distribution of roles, resources, and power. Despite this, they remain underrepresented in adaptation decision making.” 
• “National Adaptation Plan (NAP) processes must consider the impacts of climate change on the lives of women, in all their diversity, to be effective. Envisioning Resilience presents a creative solution to facilitate dialogue, bridge knowledge gaps, and ensure that investments in climate action yield equitable benefits for people of all genders and social groups.” 

Lydia Wanjiku Kibandi, Chief Executive Officer, Lensational 

• “There is no doubt that visual storytelling holds immense power in reaching policy-makers. The real question for us now is how can we harness the potential of visual stories as a valuable resource for informing national planning, programming, and implementation?” 

Ayesha Constable, Coordinator, GirlsCARE Jamaica 

• “The initiative presents an innovative approach to engaging young women and girls with national climate action. The trainees’ backgrounds and lived experiences will allow for new and refreshing perspectives on climate change adaptation.”  
• “The Envisioning Resilience photo stories document the very personal experiences of homeowners, farmers, and small business owners as they deal with drought conditions and increasing temperatures. The stories are powerful and personal, and a common theme is the role of local collective action in building resilience to climate change.” 
   

More Information  

• Read Jamaica’s Gender and Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan. 
• Discover Envisioning Resilience photos and stories from women in Ghana and Kenya. 
• Visit the project page on the International Institute for Sustainable Development website.  
• Read more about the outcomes of the pilot phase in Ghana and Kenya, as well as quotes from participating photographers and government decision-makers. 

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