For COP28 the EWL demands mainstreaming gender equality in climate policies beyond finance
[Brussels, 23 November 2023] For COP28 the EWL calls upon EU and worldwide decision-makers to empower women and girls through climate change and environmental policies and to apply gender mainstreaming to those.
This year’s COP28 mostly envisions focusing on gender equality in the framework of finance. A more efficient allocation of resources is indeed critical to ensure that women and girls equally benefit from the green transition. Gender budgeting is essential for such transition to advance women’s rights and gender equality rather than exacerbate or perpetuate existing inequalities. Yet, reaching this goal requires going way beyond finance.
The green transition triggered by the current climate challenges is a significant opportunity to develop more politically, economically, and socially equal societies; our response to these challenges must be based on and include all women’s experiences, needs and expertise.
The COP27 Sharm el-Sheikh Implementation Plan rightly highlighted that tackling climate change requires taking into consideration gender equality, women’s empowerment, meaningful and equal participation of women as well as a gender-responsive implementation of climate policies. The latter will advance women’s rights and foster a sustainable future only if a gender equality and women’s rights lens is applied to the policy cycle, from design to implementation, to monitoring and evaluation.
That is why the EWL calls upon EU and worldwide decision-makers to empower women and girls through climate change and environmental policies by:
- Ensuring the mandatory collection of sex-disaggregated data on the differential impact of climate change and climate measures on all women and girls;
- Mainstreaming gender equality in all climate policies and strategies from implementation to evaluation;
- Applying gender budgeting to advance gender equality and to allocate resources more efficiently;
- Adopting and implementing binding measures guaranteeing the equal representation of women in all aspects of life, including through temporary mandatory quotas;
- Increasing women’s representation in climate-related ministries and international negotiations;
- Transitioning to a holistic green and feminist economy;
- Ensuring climate change adaptation and mitigation strategies do not hinder women’s ability to participate in and benefit from the green transition nor exacerbate the unpaid care responsibilities that predominantly fall on women;
- Safeguarding women’s and girls’ safety throughout their migratory journey;
- Proactively preventing the escalation of energy poverty as it mostly impacts single-parent households, of which women represent the majority throughout the world.
We count on members of the EU delegation to COP28 to empower women and girls, to ensure that gender equality is mainstreamed in climate policies and regulations and finally that all women are equally represented in decision-making rooms.
