Leading experts on gender and climate change explore how countries can propel action on climate commitments.

Join the conversation: #gender, #climateaction

With pressure mounting for fast action on climate change, countries struggle with building their capacity to finance and implement climate interventions through approaches that respect women’s rights and advance gender equality. The available guidance on gender-responsive climate initiatives is at once overwhelming and incomplete for policy makers and practitioners. What exactly is needed and how can countries cut through the clutter to propel action? Leading experts on gender and climate change explain.

The environment and development community is increasingly aware that climate change affects women and men differently, making a gender equality perspective essential when discussing policy development, decision-making, and strategies for adaptation and mitigation. There is growing evidence that women are not just helpless victims but powerful agents of change, and that women’s leadership is vital to the success of climate initiatives, requiring their engagement in these initiatives from the design stage. However, this is not yet reflected in our responses to climate change.

The gender-related decisions within the Convention, along with the Gender Action Plan are incredibly important to keep gender on the agenda but are only the first step. An even bigger hurdle is achieving follow through on implementation of those actions by signatory countries. In total, 64 of the 190 NDCs include a reference to women or gender. However, these references are to women as a vulnerable group or beneficiary and fail to acknowledge women’s agency and rights. And, these references fall outside of the context of actionable climate policy. This lack of regard for gender in the Convention and the NDCs is also in resource mobilization with miniscule amounts of funding going toward climate change initiatives with gender equality objectives.

What is a gender-just approach to climate change and what is needed to make it happen? Join leading gender and climate experts from UNFCCC, UNDP, Heinrich Böll Foundation and NDC Partnership as they discuss the gender commitments under the Paris Agreement, leveraging the NDCs to advance gender-responsive actions and mobilizing the knowledge and finances needed to ensure effective implementation.

Speakers

  • Natalie Elwell, Senior Gender Advisor, WRI, @nelwellWRI
  • Bridget Burns, Director, Women’s Environment and Development Organization, @bridiekatie
  • Fleur Newman, Gender Affairs Officer, Lead - gender & climate change, UNFCCC, @FleurENewman
  • Verania Chao, Policy Specialist, Environment and Climate Change, Gender Team, UNDP, @VeraniaChao
  • Liane Schalatek, Associate Director, Heinrich Böll Foundation North America, @liane_boell
  • Lisa Bow, Head of Knowledge Services, NDC Partnership, @ndcpartnership

Presentations