This paper highlights that women, who form the majority of the world’s 1.4 billion poorest people, are often disproportionally affected by climate change impacts, largely due to persisting gender norms and discriminations. Women and men also contribute to climate change responses in different ways and have different capabilities to mitigate and adapt.
It argues that gender responsive climate financing instruments and funding allocations are needed, using public funding in an equitable, efficient and effective way. It also argues that climate finance decisions are not made within a normative vacuum, but must be guided by acknowledging women’s rights as human beings. At the moment, gender considerations are not always addressed systematically in existing climate funds. The paper argues that the Green Climate Fund has the opportunity to distinguish itself from existing funds by integrating a gender perspective from the outset. Some key principles and actions for making climate financing instruments more gender responsive are outlined.
The paper outlines some key principles and actions:
Gender equality as a guiding principle and a crosscutting issue for all climate finance instruments, but particularly for the Green Climate Fund.
Gender-responsive funding guidelines and criteria for each thematic funding window or sub-fund.
Explicit gender criteria in performance objectives and criteria and evaluation of funding options. The paper argues that such criteria should include a mandatory gender analysis of the proposed project or programme, a gender budget and some clear indicators measuring how projects and programs contribute to gender equality objectives, as well as the systematic collection of sex disaggregated data.
Gender-balance and gender-expertise of an institution’s staff administering climate financing to ensure that gender equality principles are considered in programme and project review and the monitoring, reporting, verification and evaluation of a mechanism’s funding portfolio.
Special efforts to seek the input and participation of women as stakeholders and beneficiaries during and after the programme or projects.
A regular audit of the gender impacts of funding allocations in their overview and reporting in order to ensure balance between mitigation and adaptation activities and gender-responsive delivery.
A robust set of social, gender and environmental safeguards and guidelines for their implementation that guarantee gender equality, women’s rights and women’s full participation.
An independent evaluation and recourse mechanism allowing groups and individuals, including women, affected by climate change funding in recipient countries to voice their grievances and seek compensation and restitution.
[Adapted from source]