The United Nations Entity For Women (UN Women) has called for the adoption of a transformative and adequately resourced Gender Action Plan (GAP) that places women and girls at the centre of climate action.
In a statement released at the opening of the 30th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP30), in Belém, Brazil, UN Women urged Parties to adopt a GAP that “addresses the root causes of gender inequality and climate vulnerability grounded in the principles of accountability and implementation,”.
They appealed that it should be one that “protects and promotes the rights of women and girls in all their diversity.”
The Director of Policy, Programme and Intergovernmental Division at UN Women, Sarah Hendriks, said: “The adoption of a strong GAP at COP30 will be a defining moment of global commitment to gender equality and the integrity of the UNFCCC as a platform for inclusive and rights-based multilateral climate governance,”
She emphasised that, “Climate change is not gender neutral. Its impacts exacerbate existing inequalities, placing women and marginalised groups at the frontlines of climate-related displacement, food insecurity, and loss of livelihoods.”
Hendriks cautioned that, “Failure to adopt a robust GAP would set back gender equality and human rights, undermining hard-won progress and signaling that women’s leadership and experience are expendable in the climate fight.”
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UN Women highlighted that the first Gender Action Plan, adopted in 2017, had been instrumental in embedding gender considerations across the UNFCCC process; from mitigation and adaptation to finance, technology, and capacity-building.
The agency further stressed that the plan must uphold human rights, safeguard civic space, and recognise “the leadership of women environmental human rights defenders as essential to climate justice.”
Gender Equality and Climate Policy Scorecard
Coinciding with COP30, UN Women and the Kaschak Institute for Social Justice for Women and Girls launched the Gender Equality and Climate Policy Scorecard, a new tool measuring how governments integrate gender equality into national climate policies.
The initial analysis, featuring 32 Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), shows that while most countries recognise women’s vulnerability to climate change, fewer acknowledge their leadership in climate solutions.
As global leaders gather in Belém, Brazil, for the summit, UN Women reaffirmed that “gender equality is not a fringe concern but a central pillar of effective, inclusive, and just climate action.”
Olusola Akintonde