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Solidarity with Benue

On 17 June 2025, in a moment of pain and uncertainty, SWEDIWorld extended its deepest sympathy and solidarity to the people of Benue State. The wave of violence and loss, the organisation said, “is not just a local tragedy; it is a national call to protect lives, restore dignity, and uphold justice.”

SWEDIWorld reaffirmed its commitment to amplify the voices of the vulnerable, especially the women and children who bear the heaviest burden in times like these, and called on leaders, communities and stakeholders to put peace and protection first. Its message was simple: may healing come swiftly, may justice prevail, may we unite for lasting peace.

International Day of Peace 2025

On the International Day of Peace, SWEDIWorld called for unity, dignity and harmony. Sustainable futures for all, it said, demand addressing the root causes of violence (land disputes, marginalisation and inequality) and replacing fear with opportunity and despair with shared prosperity. “Let Benue State, Nigeria, and every conflict-affected region shine as symbols of healing.”

SWEDIWorld’s humanitarian outreach to Yelewata survivors in Makurdi in January 2026 followed from this commitment.

On 27 August 2025, SWEDIWorld participated in the National Validation Workshop of Nigeria’s NDC 3.0, organised by the National Council on Climate Change (NCCC) in Abuja. SWEDIWorld colleagues Blandine and Nancy represented the organisation.

The workshop aimed to validate Nigeria’s revised Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) under the Paris Agreement, to be submitted ahead of CMA 7 in November 2025.

The engagement reflects SWEDIWorld’s commitment to ensuring that Nigeria’s climate commitments remain ambitious, inclusive and grounded in the realities of the communities most affected by climate change.

On 31 July 2025, SWEDIWorld followed the EPIC-Africa webinar “From Fragility to Fortitude: The Impact of US Government Funding Cuts on African CSOs”, which unpacked the immediate and structural effects of the cuts on civil society organisations across the continent: organisations shrinking, pausing or shutting down; staff laid off; programmes discontinued; partnerships lost.

Beyond the data, the webinar named something deeper: grief, and then clarity. The civil society model many organisations have long depended on, with external funding and externally driven priorities, is no longer sustainable. The report accompanying the webinar challenges the sector to rebuild on different foundations:

• unrestricted funding;
• locally led agendas;
• shared infrastructure; and
• sector-wide collaboration over competition.

“As a newer organisation shaped by the realities of shrinking space and shifting priorities,” SWEDIWorld wrote, “this moment reinforces our belief in designing from the ground up: intentionally, collaboratively and with sustainability in mind. We are listening, and we are building.”

SafeWorld Empowerment and Development Initiative (SWEDIWorld) took part in the UNFCCC Gender Action Plan Workshop held during the June 2025 United Nations Climate Change Conference (SB62) in Bonn, Germany.

The workshop brought together governments, UN agencies and civil society organisations to co-develop the next phase of the Gender Action Plan, scheduled for adoption at the 30th Conference of the Parties (COP30) in Belém, Brazil. It was facilitated by a team that included Fleur Newman of the UNFCCC Secretariat, Thays Prado of the Feminist Climate Movement, UN Women gender experts and UNFCCC technical staff.

Participants worked through collaborative mapping, visual storyboarding, peer storytelling and co-creation exercises to design inclusive climate strategies that reflect global realities. SWEDIWorld’s Executive Director, Sewuese Asa, joined the workshop virtually and contributed reflections on:

• centring adolescent girls and women in climate action;
• addressing the barriers faced by women and girls displaced by conflict; and
• integrating education and menstrual dignity as essential components of gender-responsive climate strategies.

SWEDIWorld’s own programming, from menstrual hygiene outreach in underserved public schools across the Federal Capital Territory to eco-literacy and tree-planting initiatives in conflict-affected communities in Benue State, grounds these contributions in practice.

The experience informs SWEDIWorld’s continuing advocacy for gender-responsive climate action, including its later work to take the Belém Gender Action Plan to communities in Abuja.

On 2 July 2025, SWEDIWorld’s founder joined policymakers, private-sector actors and community voices at the Decarbonizing Infrastructure in Nigeria Summit at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, held with the National Council on Climate Change Secretariat. The summit asked a practical question: how do we fund the future we say we want?

Key takeaways

• Vice President Kashim Shettima shared that 75% of Nigeria’s emissions come from infrastructure, and announced a USD 60 million Green Port project to cut diesel use.
• Dr. Nkiruka Maduekwe emphasised how urgent the transition is and the key role of the private sector.
• Musaddiq Mustapha spoke about the need to give states and local actors the tools to lead, and not only Abuja.
• Participants kept returning to finance: how to unlock it, how to localise it, and how to ensure communities can actually access it, “not just big numbers, but real money in the hands of people doing real work”.

Why it matters to SWEDIWorld

SWEDIWorld works at the community level, in schools, planting trees, educating girls and building climate solutions from the ground up, which is where the benefits of climate finance have to land. Being in rooms where infrastructure and finance decisions are made helps the organisation make the case for efficient systems that align with national and global climate goals and that reach women, girls and smallholder farmers.

In June 2025, SWEDIWorld took part in the Global Women’s Assembly for Climate Justice: Path to COP30 and Beyond, a six-day virtual forum of collective action, strategy and movement-building convened by the Women’s Earth and Climate Action Network (WECAN) International, bringing together more than 125 speakers from over 50 countries across 25 panels.

Day 2: where power meets purpose

SWEDIWorld’s founder reflected that climate justice “is not just about carbon; it is about care, courage and connection”. Sessions highlighted narrative justice, civic climate education and public engagement, and the vision of a legacy COP30. One theme stood out: we must change the minds of decision-makers by centring the lived experiences of women, youth and frontline communities.

A just renewable energy transition

During the Assembly, WECAN launched its report “How Local Community Power is Central to a Just Renewable Energy Transition”. SWEDIWorld stated that it is proud to stand in solidarity with the Women and Gender Constituency and WECAN in advancing climate justice led by women and frontline communities, and shared a call from speaker Roishetta Sibley-Ozane: “Support women. Listen to women. Fund women.”

For SWEDIWorld, the Assembly was also a reminder that African grassroots actors should not just participate in these spaces; they should co-create them.

On 11 June 2025, SWEDIWorld’s Founder and Executive Director announced that she is now a member of the PCCB Network, a global platform committed to strengthening capacity for climate action under the UNFCCC framework.

The membership aligns with SWEDIWorld’s mission to empower women, girls and marginalised communities through climate advocacy, education and sustainable development. Becoming part of the network, the organisation said, expands its reach, deepens its knowledge and opens doors to collaborative solutions to the climate crisis, especially from the perspective of communities on the frontlines.

“Here’s to building resilience, advancing climate justice and creating a safer world together.”