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The document outlines a study by Natural Justice and the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) focusing on the systemic barriers preventing women in Senegal's rural and coastal primary economies from effectively managing climate change. It argues that women possess essential empirical knowledge for resilience but are hindered by structural locks in local governance and a technocratic approach to public policy. The study seeks to move beyond viewing women as 'passive vulnerability' toward a model of legal empowerment that enables actual agency in decision-making processes regarding land access, inputs, and financing.

The African Activists for Climate Justice (AACJ) project, implemented by a consortium including Natural Justice, Oxfam, and others, has worked in Senegal from May 2021 to December 2025 to democratize climate debate and promote inter- and intra-generational climate justice. Key achievements include the creation of six influential networks for women, youth, and local officials, the production of 18 community narratives (podcasts, videos, and comics), and the legal empowerment of communities facing extractive industries. The project has facilitated community participation in national policies such as the Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) and the National Adaptation Plan, while supporting legal actions and the recognition of Indigenous and Community Conserved Areas (ICCAs) in biodiversity legislation.

The African Activists for Climate Justice (AACJ) project, implemented by a consortium including Natural Justice, PACJA, Oxfam Novib, AYC, and FEMNET/RECODEF, reports significant progress between 2021 and 2023 in advancing climate justice. Key activities include legal training for judicial actors in West Africa, community-led audits of coal plants, and the creation of youth and women's climate networks. In Senegal, the project supported legal action against industrial pollution in Cayar, influenced the national environmental code, and trained over 700 people in legal empowerment to defend their natural capital.

The report identifies a systemic gap between the numerical presence of women in local decision-making bodies and their actual decision-making power, termed 'participation de façade'. This exclusion is driven by a deeply embedded 'patriarchal habitus', significant 'time poverty' due to domestic burdens, and a lack of legal literacy. While women are central to the fisheries and agricultural sectors, they are largely excluded from the governance of these resources. The study proposes a transition from passive resilience to active environmental citizenship through a three-pillar model of legal empowerment: critical legal literacy, climate conceptualization, and transformational leadership.