Strategy

Overview

The Women in Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management (WiFCERM) initiative began life in 2018 as an open, honest and incredibly inspirational conversation. The conversation highlighted the need for connection across the sector and the commonality between the challenges women face.

The initiative has grown substantially in scale and ambition since it was first piloted at the 2018 Flood and Coast conference. We are now a large networking group of professionals set up to support and connect women working across the FCERM sector. We are focussed on women and those who line-manage them, but this is within a broader context of striving for gender equality for everyone, so our membership is open to all.

The initiative is run by 20 volunteers whose day jobs represent different parts of the FCERM sector. Collectively we run a successful group mentoring programme; promote and celebrate individuals through our annual WiFCERM Awards; bring people together through our networking events; and work with organisations who want to be recognised partners in contributing to gender equality across the FCERM sector.

But women tell us that they are still facing significant challenges.

And so, in 2025, we’re taking the opportunity to reflect where we’ve come from and where we want to get to in the next 5 years and beyond.

We know that we can’t achieve our objectives on our own. This 5 Year Strategy will require continuous conversations and partnership working across the FCERM sector to achieve, embed, and make a difference.

Together we can be ambitious and stretch ourselves to do more to support women and help make the FCERM sector an attractive place for women to work in, thrive in, and feel empowered to make a difference in the face of a changing climate.

Consultation

We are excited to now share our brand new WiFCERM 5-year strategy for consultation.

This draft strategy is a result of collaboration and conversations with the WiFCERM committee over the past 7 months. It captures the ideas and challenges the FCERM sector faces, which we address by identifying five key outcomes and setting objectives and follow up actions.

We want to be ambitious and stretch ourselves to do more to support women and help make the FCERM sector an attractive place for women to work in, thrive in, and feel empowered to make a difference in the face of a changing climate.

The strategy aims to create a clearer direction for WiFCERM and we are kindly asking for your input. Please read through our Strategy draft below and answer the survey by Friday 2nd May: https://forms.office.com/e/0gRBW6TYND. Your feedback will help us to finalise the Strategy and begin the ambitious and exciting journey towards more supportive and empowering initiative.

Please contact womeninfcerm@environment-agency.gov.uk for any queries.