CLIMATE, WATER AND GENDER: TRANSFORMATIVE LEADERSHIP FOR A JUST TRANSITION

A high-level dialogue organised by the CLUB DE MADRID which will take place at the headquarters of EURECAT in Barcelona and be streamed live to listeners from around the world.

5th February 2026 | 19.00 – 20.30 CET

Co-organized by:

Description

Reflecting the belief of EURECAT, the Technology Centre of Catalonia, that research and innovation have a crucial social role to play with regard to the effects of climate change and as part of the centre’s CASSANDRA 2026 Conference, which reflects the work that EURECAT has been undertaking with regard to this issue over the last 4 years, CLUB DE MADRID presents a high-level dialogue featuring its members which will focus on the critical interlinkages between climate change, water governance, and gender equity.

The session will aim to highlight the essential role women play in water management, environmental stewardship, and community resilience strategies. It will also promote a model of transformative political leadership that supports a just and inclusive ecological transition, with special attention to vulnerable populations and regions most affected by climate-related challenges.

By bringing together the political experience of CLUB DE MADRID Members with the insights of key stakeholders from the scientific community, private sector, international cooperation, and civil society, the dialogue will create a multi-stakeholder platform for strategic reflection and the development of actionable policy proposals. The focus will be on gender-responsive climate action and inclusive water governance, aligned with the goals of the 2030 Agenda and the Paris Agreement.

This discussion will also serve as a contribution to the preparatory process leading up to the United Nations Conference on Water, also scheduled for 2026. Club de Madrid aims to enrich the global agenda with concrete policy recommendations drawn from democratic leadership and an effective multilateral approach. It is this approach that EURECAT through the implementation of its CASSANDRA initiative has been advocating and demonstrating in the Mediterranean, Africa and beyond.

With this initiative, CLUB DE MADRID reaffirms its commitment to advancing equitable, sustainable, and resilient societies, by placing gender equality and inclusive leadership at the heart of political decision-making and the search for solutions to today’s global challenges.

Speakers in this session:

  • ANDREA COSTAFREDA, Director General of Development Cooperation at the Department of the European Union and External Action, Government of Catalonia

  • MEHDI JOMAA, Prime Minister of Tunisia (2014-2015), Member of Club de Madrid

  • HAKIMA El HAITE, Former Minister of the Environment of Morocco, Chair of the Paris Agreement

  • TANJA MISKOVA, Ambassador at large for Water Diplomacy, Slovenia

  • DR. RICHARD ELELMAN, Head of Politics, Eurecat and Leader of Cassandra

Speakers in this session

Linkedin

ANDREA COSTAFREDA

Director General of Development Cooperation at the Department of European Union and External Action, Government of Catalonia

Andrea Costafreda Quesada, currently Director General of Development Cooperation at the Department of the European Union and External Action, holds a degree in Political Science and Public Administration from the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona.
She also holds a Master’s degree in Information Society from the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya and a specialization in political conflict resolution from the London School of Economics. From 2016 until November 2024, she runs the Latin America and Mediterranean program at Oxfam Intermón and served as an expert member of the Catalan Government’s Development Cooperation Council.
As a consultant and researcher in international development cooperation, she has worked for the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, the Barcelona City Council’s Directorate of International Relations, and multilateral organizations such as the United Nations Development Programme, the Inter-American Development Bank, and International IDEA. From 2014 to 2015, she was the program director of the Catalonia Europe Foundation, and in 2013 she coordinated the Social Studies Collection of  “la Caixa” Foundation. Previously, from 2009 to 2011, she was responsible for planning and evaluation at the Directorate General for Development Cooperation of the Government of Catalonia.
As an educator, she is an associate professor of International Relations at the Blanquerna Faculty of Communication and International Relations and an affiliated professor at the Barcelona Institute of International Studies. She has published numerous articles, book chapters, and working papers, and has presented papers and lectures.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/mehdi-jomaa-60a8333b/

MEHDI JOMAA

Prime Minister of Tunisia (2014-2015), Member of Club de Madrid

Mehdi Jomaa, Prime Minister of Tunisia (2014-2015)  and Member of Club de Madrid, who as head of government, was in charge of completing the transition process with the ultimate objective of anchoring the country towards a democratic way.
Mehdi Jomaa was born in Mahdia, Tunisia, in April 1962; he received his Master’s Degree in Engineering in Tunisia (ENIT).
As CEO of Hutchinson Aerospace Division and Member of the Executive committee along 25 years spent at Hutchinson, he worked on several programs dealing with aerospace industries, developing solid strategy, international business management, organization change and transformation leadership.
The switch from corporate to political career began in March 2013, when he was appointed Minister of Industry in Tunisia. In this capacity he initiated several policy changes including a new energy strategy with an increasing mix of renewable, high-added value industrial policy, rationalisation of energy subsidies, culture change and social responsibility in Tunisian large industrial groups. In January 2014 and after several months of an acute political crisis, which stalled the transition process, he was elected by the National Dialogue Committee to lead the country and became the Head of Government.
As Head of Government, he introduced a new and innovative governance procedure based on a trilogy of “vision, strategy and leadership”. During his tenure in office, Mr Jomaa restructured and enhanced the capabilities of the security apparatus for a more efficient response to terrorism, launched the national economic dialogue to build national consensus around priority fiscal and structural reforms. In September 2014 he organised a major investment conference entitled “Invest in Tunisia: Start-up Democracy”.
Mr. Jomaa is founder of a think tank “Tunisia Alternatives” aiming to work on various policy reforms and provides a high-level technical expertise on Reforms processes and Social Policies. Furthermore, he is holder of decorations of the Tunisian Order of the Republic and the German Order of Merit. He was awarded the 2014 Amadeus “Man of the Year” distinction from Morocco.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/hakima-elhait%C3%A9-4285a483/?trk=organization_guest_main-feed-card-text&originalSubdomain=ma

Dr. HAKIMA EL HAITÉ

Former Minister of Environment of Morocco, Chair of the Paris Agreement

Dr. Hakima El Haité, Founder of EauGlobe, is currently an advisor of Senegal’s President Macky Sall for his zero waste initiative. Ex-Minister of Environment of Morocco, she was elected Vice-President of the United Nations Paris Climate Conference in 2015. In 2016, she was appointed High Level Climate Champion of the Conference of Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change for COP22. She holds two PhDs, one in environmental studies from the University of Meknes and one in Environmental Engineering from the Ecole des Mines de St Etienne, France. Hakima El Haité was listed in 2019, 2022 and 2023 as one of the “100 most influential people in climate policy” curated by Apolitical.

TANJA MIŠKOVA

Ambassador at large for Water Diplomacy, REPUBLIC OF SLOVENIA

Tanja Miškova is Ambassador in charge of water diplomacy and circular economy at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Slovenia. During her diplomatic career she served as Director General for Multilateral Affairs and Development Cooperation, as head of Department for Emerging Challenges, as Ambassador to Egypt, and as Diplomatic Adviser to the President of Slovenia.

http://www.eurecat.org/https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/cassandra-conference/posts/?feedView=all

Dr. RICHARD ELELMAN

Head of Politics, Eurecat and Leader of Cassandra

Dr. Richard Elelman studied Politics in the UK before living in France, Spain, Portugal, the Middle East, Sudan, Afghanistan and India. He is currently the Head of Politics at EURECAT in Barcelona, the co-leader of the RENAISSANCE Science-Art-Sustainability programme with the European Commission and has just completed an eight-month assignment as the Acting Coordinator of the United Nations’ World Water Quality Alliance based at the UN in Nairobi. The former Deputy Mayor of Figueres in Spain, he is a political analyst who has, in recent years, specialised in Environmental and Scientific Policy and the links between Politics, the world of Research and Development and Citizen Engagement. He works in collaboration with many supranational organisations such as the UN Environment Programme, UNESCO, the World Bank and the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission as an External Expert. His latest publication, ‘The Gateway to the Future of the Mediterranean’ addresses the issue of the WEFE NEXUS. His principal activities at present, include defining the socio-political consequences of Climate Change on Migration, Health, Conflict and Gender Equality. He is a regular speaker at numerous international conferences in the United States, Europe, Africa and the Middle East.