The UN Women, with support from the Green Climate Fund (GCF), has launched a new guidebook to help practitioners mainstream gender into climate change projects and programmes. It has been described as a “go-to” publication, which presents methodologies and tools to address the gender gap.
Gender mainstreaming for climate change is the process of assessing and responding to the differentiated implications for women and men of any planned climate action, including legislation, policies or programmes. Gender mainstreaming is not simply about adding a “women’s component”. Gender mainstreaming is about thinking differently, modifying climate and development interventions so that they will benefit men and women equally. It is about transforming social, economic and institutional structures towards gender equality and women’s empowerment in climate action and resilience building.
The impacts of climate change, including on access to productive and natural resources, amplify existing gender inequalities. Climate change affects women’s and men’s assets and well-being differently in terms of agricultural production, food security, health, water and energy resources, climate-induced migration and conflict, and climate-related natural disasters.
At the same time, women are powerful change agents to address climate change at scale. They are key actors in building community resilience and responding to climate-related disasters. Women tend to make decisions about resource use and investments in the interest and welfare of their children, families, and communities.
Systematically addressing gender gaps in responding to climate change is one of the most effective mechanisms to build the climate resilience of households, communities and nations.
For this, a paradigm shift is needed towards gender mainstreaming.
This guidebook is part of UN Women’s and its partners’ efforts to champion such a paradigm shift. The handbook can be accessed here.
