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Gender and Climate Adaptation Policy

Making climate and development policies more gender responsive

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United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC): Gender and Climate Change

Gender

The extreme weather events due to climate change affect women and men differently. Rural women, although being the most vulnerable group, are yet associated with a variety of work from food production to household water supply to energy for heating and cooking. These tasks become more difficult due to the effects of climate change. Although women have the knowledge about the coping strategies, the lack of accessibility to capacity building activities, technical and financial resources does not allow them to implement their knowledge. This limits their contribution to climate solutions. Also they are under-represented in decision-making thereby making it difficult to tap their ability in climate change adaptation and mitigation. Gender responsive adaptation would ensure effective implementation of the strategies on the ground and reduce gender inequalities. Linking gender and climate change solutions can possibly bring gender-positive impacts at the local level.

To achieve their agenda towards gender and climate, various negotiations concerning gender and climate change have been carried out in the UNFCCC. Starting from the Marrakech United Nations Climate Change Conference, October/November 2001 that focused on enhancing the participation of women at all levels of decision making related to climate change. Then came the Doha United Nations Climate Change Conference, November/December 2013, which promoted gender balance and encouraged participation of women in UNFCCC negotiations and in the representation of Parties in bodies established pursuant to the Convention or the Kyoto Protocol. Next was the Warsaw United Nations Climate Change Conference, November 2013 which provided options and ways to advance the gender balance goal. The latest was the Lima United Nations Climate Change Conference, December 2014 which facilitated the ongoing implementation of ways to advance gender balance goal.

Read more at http://unfccc.int/gender_and_climate_change/items/7516.php