Between arms and advocacy

International climate policies and funding mechanisms are largely designed around states and national governments. Yet millions of people affected by conflict live in areas where state institutions have limited reach or where non-state armed groups, traditional authorities or other actors provide governance and public services. These communities can therefore be excluded from international climate adaptation efforts even though they are among those most exposed to extreme weather, environmental degradation and livelihood insecurity.

Existing research has generated important knowledge about the relationships between climate change and conflict, the gendered effects of environmental breakdown, and women’s roles in peacebuilding. Much less is known about how these dynamics intersect in areas governed partly or primarily by non-state armed actors. The project addresses this gap by examining both women’s differentiated vulnerabilities and their political agency within contested systems of climate and environmental governance. The research asks how climate adaptation and environmental protection are negotiated under non-state armed group influence; what roles women play in it; and what locally developed approaches can inform more gender-responsive and conflict-sensitive climate and peacebuilding practice.

The project is funded by the German Foundation for Peace Research, DSF, in connection with funding from the German Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (Bundesministerium für Forschung, Technologie und Raumfahrt, BMFTR). 

The twelve-month pilot project runs from September 2026 to August 2027.

Using participatory interviews, collaborative analysis and Photovoice as research methods, the project will generate locally grounded knowledge about the relationships between gender, climate and conflict in Karen State.

• Co-developing the research process: The project’s guiding questions, interview tools and analytical framework will be refined jointly by the lead researcher and the insider researcher, Naw Wah Wah. This approach brings together different forms of expertise and helps ensure that the research responds to the priorities and realities of people directly affected by conflict and environmental change.
• Documenting women’s lived experiences through Photovoice: A small and diverse group of women from different parts of Karen State will use photography and accompanying narratives to document how climate risks, environmental degradation and conflict affect their everyday lives. Through several rounds of photography and group reflection, participants will identify shared themes, differences between locations and examples of women’s adaptation, environmental action and political agency.
• Conducting peer-to-peer interviews: The insider researcher will interview women and other relevant actors connected to communities, civil society organisations, environmental networks and governance structures. Peer-to-peer research can create greater trust and enable participants to discuss sensitive issues with someone who shares their linguistic, cultural and political context.
• Producing research and policy outputs: The findings will inform a co-authored academic article and a policy brief for international policymakers, donors and practitioners working on climate, gender, peacebuilding and Myanmar. An online photo essay will combine selected participant-generated images and narratives to make women’s perspectives accessible beyond academic audiences.
• Supporting dialogue and future practice: Online dissemination and dialogue events will bring together community-based organisations, researchers, donors and international practitioners. The project will develop practical recommendations for climate adaptation and environmental governance in contested areas, including how external actors can engage with non-state-controlled communities without reinforcing exclusion, gender inequality or conflict.