COP26 - Day 9: A just transition means gender equality

There has been new momentum from around the world to put gender at the forefront of climate action on Gender Day, as countries and non state actors set out gender and climate commitments. Women and girls are disproportionately impacted by climate change because they are more likely to live in poverty than men, have less access to basic human rights like the ability to freely move and acquire land, and face systematic violence that escalates during periods of instability.

The announcements today included:

• Canada to ensure that 80% of its $5.3 billion climate investments over the next five years target gender equality outcomes.
• Germany announcing a new Gender Strategy under its International Climate Initiative (IKI) which will promote gender-transformative approaches in international climate and biodiversity cooperation.
• The USA committing new funding for gender-responsive climate programming. This includes $14 million of the Gender Equity and Equality Action Fund to advance women and girls' leadership in climate action and participation in green industries, while building their climate resilience, and $3 million investment to support women farmers in East Africa to adapt to climate impacts.

These announcements help build momentum internationally to drive implementation of the Gender Action Plan agreed at COP25, ahead of the sixty-sixth session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW66) in March 2022 which will focus on gender equality in the context of climate change, the environment and disaster risk reduction.