1. Gender equality and climate change
An introduction

2. Key concepts
“Gender”: social roles and relations between women and men; includes different responsibilities of women and men in a given culture or location
 socially constructed
 roles can change over time and vary according to geographical location and social context.
Gender equality (GE): “equal enjoyment by women and men of socially-valued goods, opportunities, resources and rewards”
Women’s empowerment is a critical aspect of GE
ftp://ftp.fao.org/docrep/fao/010/a1395e/a1395e00.pdf
FAO (2007) People-centred climate change adaptation: integrating gender issues

3. Gender equality and climate change
Women and men experience climate change in distinct ways:
Different risks and opportunities due to gender-based division of labour and sociocultural barriers
Different options and safety nets for coping with climate change due to gender-based differences in access to physical, social and financial resources
Differences in knowledge and skills to prepare for or cope with climate change
Differences in levels of representation, participation and leadership
FAO (2007) People-centred climate change adaptation: integrating gender issues

4. A gender approach
Recognises differences in vulnerabilities, needs, interests, capacities and knowledge with respect to climate change
Promotes understanding of how these are determined by the identities of women and men
Contributes to a more effective response to climate change as it allows for a clearer and more complete view of the relations people have built with their environment
Helps to design policies and programmes that contribute to gender equality and women’s empowerment

5. Incorporating gender perspectives into climate change programming
Assess the different implications of interventions for women and men from the outset
Ensure that these assessments are informed by consultations with women and men
Engage with appropriate women’s rights organisations and female community leaders when selecting partners

6. Incorporating gender perspectives into climate change programming
Build targeted objectives for including gender equality and women’s empowerment into the plans and budgets of programmes
Ensure that women participate equally and actively alongside men and are enabled to take up leadership positions throughout the programme management cycle
Monitor and evaluate impacts of gender equality and women’s empowerment using gender-sensitive indicators
IUCN/GGCA/UNDP (2010) Training manual on gender and climate change; UNDP (2009) Resource guide on gender and climate change

7. Questions to ask
Which men and which women hold the power in this country/ministry/community?
Who owns and controls resources?
Who takes the decisions? Who sets the agenda?
Who gains and who loses from this process?
Some guiding questions to ask include:

8. References and further reading
FAO (2007) People-centred climate change adaptation: integrating gender issues: ftp://ftp.fao.org/docrep/fao/010/a1395e/a1395e00.pdf
IIED (2014) Building resilience to environmental change by transforming gender relations:
IUCN (2007) Gender and climate change: Women as agents of change:
IUCN/GGCA/UNDP (2010) Training manual on gender and climate change:
UNDP (2009) Resource guide on gender and climate change:
UNDP/GGCA (2012) Overview of linkages between gender and climate change:
UN Women’s Knowledge Platform:
I’ll stop here so that we can hear a concrete example from Tracy and leave enough time for discussion.