Gender and climate change: Overview report

Abstract

This report highlights the need to put people, and particularly women, at the center of responses to climate change. It advocates for women and men having an equal voice in decision-making on climate change and broader governance processes, and that women and men are given equal access to the resources necessary to respond to the effects of climate change. The report shows that there is much to learn from innovative, gender-aware approaches to climate change that are already happening at the local level. Many are led by non-governmental organizations, communities and individuals, and are leading to transformations in gender and social inequalities. National, regional and international initiatives are also playing a key role in promoting the need to integrate gender dimensions into all climate change policy and practice. However, many remain gender blind, particularly in market-based policies about mitigation and low-carbon development. Gender is merely added on to many existing policies, and women are not seen as part of the solution. Where women are already playing a crucial role, their contributions are often not recognized. The report argues for making climate change policies and processes gender-aware and transformative from the ground up. [This summary was provided by the CGIAR GENDER Impact Platform]