Mr. Keshav Dash, National Climate Finance Adviser of the Federation of Tuvalu; Dr. Deepa Praanikkatil, National Climate Finance Adviser of the Federation of Fiji
climate change and gender
Climate change will exacerbate existing inequalities. However, the intersection of gender, class, race, sexuality, age, and disability further impedes the ability of marginalized populations to cope with and adapt to the impacts of climate change. Women already face barriers to accessing the financial resources, productive assets, technology and critical information they need to respond and adapt to climate change. But we can address these material disparities by promoting them. By recognizing the unique contributions of marginalized groups in gender equality and building resilience to climate change.
Mainstreaming gender into climate finance
According to , climate finance amounts to approximately US$803 billion annually. UNFCCC Standing Committee on Climate Finance. Although this amount is increasing, it is still insufficient. It is estimated that global climate financing needs to increase. $5.2 trillion per year by 2030 If you want to achieve the goal of paris agreement.
However, integrating gender into climate finance poses major challenges. Gender analysis and the role of women in climate action are often overlooked, leading to substantive issues being underrepresented in climate budgets.
This is often the result of limited understanding of gender issues, poor technical capacity of gender experts, and lack of staff training. Financial institutions are also often ignored by policymakers, and some existing climate financing mechanisms fail to recognize the intersectionality of gender, where gender overlaps with other issues.
Political resistance, cultural norms, and the reluctance of decision-makers often contribute to this. In 2020 and 2021, Just $469 million Only 2 percent of bilateral aid was allocated to initiatives whose primary objective was women's economic empowerment. In this context, we argue that gender-responsive climate finance is a prerequisite for achieving a fair, low-carbon and climate-resilient future.
Fiji and Tuvalu experience
The Pacific region is increasingly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, primarily due to its geography, which exposes it to environmental shocks and existing social inequalities. It may also be useful to examine progress on national climate policies and gender budgeting in Fiji and Tuvalu.
Implemented by Fiji Ministry of Economy and Fiji Women’s Rights Movement (FWRM) Gender analysis of Fiji's climate change policy, examined National Adaptation Plans (NAPs) 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.
Fiji's NAP also includes specific goals on gender equality and women's empowerment, with the aim of increasing women's participation in climate change decision-making processes and promoting gender-responsive adaptation and mitigation actions. and promote women's access to climate finance. Her NDC implementation roadmap for Fiji also includes gender-inclusive practices.
The Commonwealth's report on gender integration in NDCs cites Fiji as an example of good national practice in addressing gender in the context of national planning processes, including the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and gender responsiveness in national climate change policies. is emphasized. Developing gender-responsive budgets.
Tuvalu's NAP aims to strengthen the country's resilience to the impacts of climate change through a coordinated and comprehensive approach to adaptation. Although the plan does not explicitly focus on gender, some gender aspects are taken into account.
of Tuvalu Approval of NDC roadmap The importance of integrating gender as an integral part of climate change planning in implementation roadmaps and NDC investment plans. Additionally, gender-disaggregated data is used for planning and budgeting, and reforms have been introduced to implement gender budgeting.
The need for gender-responsive climate finance
Although the importance of gender-responsive climate budgeting and climate finance is recognized, challenges remain in its implementation. That has been a long-standing issue. According to UN Women's 2016 status report, less than 1 percent of national budgets are allocated to national women's organizations in 15 member countries in the Asia-Pacific region. The lack of funding to implement national action plans on gender equality (where such plans exist) is as high as 90 percent.
To ensure progress, Countries need to prioritize gender equality in climate action Addressing barriers to women's economic inclusion. Countries should create more options and investment opportunities that actively consider and support women's roles and contributions. These include first loss funding for women, venture capital, climate change trust funds, customized loan products, Climate-linked insurance products and Investing in sectors and companies affected by climate change where women are the main stakeholders. As an example of good practice, the Development Bank of Fiji currently offers a range of services and financing products to women, enabling them to increase the resilience of their families and reduce their vulnerability to natural disasters and the impacts of climate change.
Federal resources and support
The Federal Secretariat is Best practice guide To ensure gender is integrated into climate finance. This includes supporting a gender focus in NDC funding, building gender expertise into projects and programs, and calling on governments to account for gender in budget statements.
of Commonwealth Climate Finance Access Hub (CCFAH) has long-term climate finance advisors in 12 countries and plays an active role in sharing knowledge and building skills to integrate gender across all our operations. Prioritizing gender inclusivity is critical to the success of climate finance initiatives and to ensuring that no one is left behind as we strive for an equitable, low-carbon and climate-resilient future.
Media inquiries
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Charmaine Wright Head of Media Relations, Communications Department, Federal Secretariat
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