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Gender-Responsive Climate Policies: A Global Overview
Context:
A recent report by the UN Climate Change secretariat highlights a significant increase in gender-responsive climate policies across the globe. This trend marks an essential evolution in integrating gender considerations into climate action frameworks, particularly under the Paris Agreement.
Growing Gender Focus in Climate Policies:
- Around 81% of the Parties to the Paris Agreement referred to gender in their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) by 2024.
- This is a remarkable improvement from 2015, when only a few countries included gender aspects in their climate plans.
Global Progress in Gender-Responsive Climate Action:
- The UN synthesis report, “Implementation of Gender-Responsive Climate Policies,” analysed climate strategies, policies, and plans from 168 NDCs out of 195 Parties as of July 31, 2024.
- The report covers gender mainstreaming in NDCs, national adaptation plans, and biennial transparency reports.
- Gender was often included in the context of stakeholder engagement, such as consulting women’s associations, local communities, Indigenous Peoples, and civil society.
Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs):
Key Features
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Key Findings: Gender Integration in Climate Strategies:
- Strengthening Institutions: 62.3% of Parties detailed efforts to strengthen institutional mechanisms for gender mainstreaming in climate actions.
- Stakeholder Diversity: 11.5% of Parties focused on increasing gender balance and diversity in stakeholder engagement, particularly in agriculture, forestry, and water resource sectors.
- Commitment to Gender Equality: 55.7% of Parties affirmed their commitment to gender equality in their NDCs.
- Focus on Women: Gender references primarily centred on women, especially in the context of vulnerability due to climate change, while fewer Parties addressed the specific vulnerabilities of men.
Challenges and Disparities:
- Developing vs Developed Countries: Developing nations and Least Developed Countries (LDCs) have consistently integrated gender into climate reporting, unlike many developed countries, which provide limited or no gender references in their National Communications or long-term strategies.
- Vulnerability of Women: Women, especially those in agriculture, face disproportionate risks due to climate change. They often lose their primary income and food security, which are critical to their survival.
Implications for Food Security:
- Women farmers constitute 45-80% of food producers in developing regions, yet climate change endangers their livelihoods by making conventional food sources less reliable.
- Women’s exclusion from decision-making regarding land and resource use further exacerbates food insecurity and their vulnerability during climate crises.
Next Steps and Future Opportunities:
- Global Stocktake Outcomes: The 28th Conference of Parties to the UNFCCC (COP28) emphasised the need for gender-responsive climate policies as a way to strengthen climate ambition and efficacy.
- NDCs 3.0 in 2025: The next round of NDC submissions in 2025 presents a vital opportunity for countries to enhance gender equality and ensure more effective climate action.