ÌÇÐÄ̽»¨

Climate change and gender

Climate change exacerbates existing inequalities. However, when Women already face barriers to accessing financial resources, productive assets, technology, and the essential information necessary to respond and adapt to climate change. But we can address these material disparities by promoting .

Mainstreaming gender into climate finance

Climate finance amounts to around US$803 billion per year, according to the . Although this amount is increasing, it remains insufficient. It is estimated that  the global climate finance needs to increase to if we are to achieve the goals of the .

Yet integrating gender into climate financing poses significant challenges. Gender analysis – and the role of women - in climate action is often overlooked, leading to substantial issues being underrepresented in climate budgets.

Often, this is a result of a limited understanding of gender issues, reduced technical capacity of gender experts, and lack of staff training. Financial institutions are also often overlooked by policymakers, and gender intersectionality – where gender overlaps with other issues - is not appreciated in some existing climate financing mechanisms.

Political resistance, cultural norms and reluctance among decision makers often contribute to this. In 2020 and 2021, - just 2 per cent of bilateral aid - was allocated to initiatives with women's economic empowerment as a primary objective. It is in this context that we argue that gender-responsive climate finance is a prerequisite for an equitable, low-carbon and climate-resilient future.

Experiences from Fiji and Tuvalu

The Pacific region faces increasing vulnerability to the impacts of climate change, mainly due to its geographical exposure to environmental shocks and existing social inequalities. It may also be useful to explore, ¹ó¾±Âᾱ’s and °Õ³Ü±¹²¹±ô³Ü’s national climate policies and progress on gender budgeting.

The Fiji Ministry of Economy and the Fiji Women's Rights Movement (FWRM) conducted , which looked at its National Adaptation Plan (NAP) and Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). As a result, they revised the NAP to include a gender mainstreaming strategy and a Gender and Climate Change Action Plan.

¹ó¾±Âᾱ’s which aims to increase women's participation in climate change decision-making processes, ensure gender-responsive adaptation and mitigation actions, and promote women's access to climate finance. The also includes gender inclusive practices.

Tuvalu's NAP aims to strengthen the country's resilience to climate change impacts through a coordinated and comprehensive approach to adaptation. While the plan does not explicitly focus on gender, some gender aspects are considered.

°Õ³Ü±¹²¹±ô³Ü’s the importance of integrating gender as an essential element of climate change planning in its Implementation Roadmap and NDC Investment Plan.

Need for gender-responsive climate finance

Despite recognising the importance of gender-responsive climate budgeting and climate finance, there remain challenges in its implementation. It has been a long-standing issue.   indicates that the national women machineries of 15 member states across the Asia-Pacific region were allocated less than 1 per cent of their national budgets. Financing gaps for implementing national action plans on gender equality (where such plans exist) are as high as 90 per cent.

To ensure progress, and address barriers to  financial inclusion for women. Countries should create more options and investment opportunities that actively consider and support women's roles and contributions. These include providing grants to women for first-loss capital, venture capital, climate change trust funds, tailored loan products, and . As a good practice example, Fiji Development Bank now provides a range of services and loan products to women, allowing them to improve the resilience of their families and reduce their vulnerability to natural disasters and the effects of climate change.

Commonwealth resources and support

The ÌÇÐÄ̽»¨ has produced a for ensuring gender is integrated into climate finance. This includes support for gender focal points in NDC financing plans, building gender expertise into projects and programmes as well as asking Governments to include gender narrative in budget statements.

The Commonwealth Climate Finance Access Hub (CCFAH) which deploys long-term Climate Finance Advisers in 12 countries,  plays an active role in sharing knowledge and building skills to integrate gender across all of its operations. Prioritising gender inclusivity is crucial for successful climate finance initiatives and to ensuring no one is left behind as we strive for an equitable low-carbon and climate-resilient future.
 

Media contact

• Charmaine Wright  Head of Media Relations, Communications Division, ÌÇÐÄ̽»¨

• +44 20 7747 6242  |  E-mail