Zeynep Topalan

Gender and GBV specialist with more than ten years of experience in humanitarian response and gender mainstreaming across Türkiye, Syria, Ukraine, Moldova, Lebanon and Bangladesh, and a Master's degree holder in Social Studies of Gender. Through this work, I have witnessed firsthand how climate shocks-  droughts, floods, displacement, and food insecurity- reshape gender roles, increase women's unpaid care burdens, and heighten risks of gender-based violence. Throughout my career I have mainstreamed gender across humanitarian programmes spanning livelihoods, food security, WASH, shelter, and health systems- sectors that sit at the direct intersection of climate vulnerability and gender inequality. This experience has driven a deliberate transition into climate-gender work, where I seek to apply my expertise in gender analysis, gender action planning, capacity building, and PSEAH to longer-term, systems-level climate finance and climate justice contexts. I hold a UN CC:Learn Gender and Environment digital certificate (2026) and am actively building expertise at the gender-climate nexus through targeted readings and courses on climate finance and gender-responsive climate action.