About
Our Climate Connection Research Fellowships are supporting an international research programme at the University of Cambridge on community-led climate resilience. The fellowships have brought two international female scholars to Cambridge, where they are researching the intersection of climate action, gender equality and female empowerment in South Asia.
Nazneen Kahn is examining the impact of climate change on the sexual health and rights of women in Bangladesh. Elil Hoole is looking at the intersectional experiences of women farm operators in Sri Lanka navigating the challenges of aridification and male-centric agricultural marketplaces.
Objectives
These fellowships will generate fresh insights for the British Council and its stakeholders, building on The Climate Connection and informing our strategy, programmes and partnerships promoting climate action, gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls globally.
The fellowships bring international research expertise into the Ecologies in Place research cluster at the University of Cambridge and advance knowledge exchange within academia and beyond. Both fellows will engage closely with international partners throughout their year-long fellowships, and work closely with British Council teams in UK, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka and across our global network.
Contribution to knowledge
Our fellows are informing a wider research agenda addressing questions about sustainability, human-environmental interactions, and the differential impacts of climate change in diverse cultural and social contexts. This is an international project, harnessing the expertise of researchers and institutions in the Global South to shape and lead climate action through research.
Contribution to climate action
The project will add to our evidence base on the role of culture and education in climate action. The focus on the nexus between gender equality, climate change and sustainable development is foregrounding the role that educational partnerships and knowledge exchange can play in enhancing the impact and visibility of existing forms of female- and community-led climate resilience.
This aligns with our commitment to placing gender equality at the centre of climate action and policy efforts in the countries and regions where we work. It also reinforces our own cultural relations approach to climate action, as we work to promote girls’ education and empowerment and women’s leadership in science and research, whilst supporting young women to lead collective action.
Partners
The fellowships are supervised by Professor Shailaja Fennell at the University of Cambridge, UK, with partners from Indian Institute of Technology, India; International Centre for Climate Change and Development, Bangladesh; American University of Cairo, Egypt.
Find out more
Visit British Council Research and insight for further details.
Contact
James Perkins, Head of Research Excellence: James.Perkins@britishcouncil.org