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Pacific Gender and Climate Change Toolkit

The Pacific Gender and Climate Change toolkit is designed to support climate change practitioners in the Pacific islands region to integrate gender into their programmes and projects.
Diego Gonzalo Quishpe Landeta

About the toolkit

Gender equality is central to achieving a sustainable and resilient future for Pacific islands. This toolkit is designed to support climate change practitioners working in national governments, non-governmental organisations, regional and international organisations, integrate gender into all aspects of policy, programming and project work.

The principles and practices proposed in this toolkit are based on many decades of experience in the integration of a gender perspective in sustainable development, natural resources management and disaster preparedness. It is designed to be a living document which will be revised and added to in future. Its use will also be supported by training and technical assistance to further build capacity in the Pacific islands region to effectively integrate gender in all climate change initiatives.

Modules

The toolkit is divided into four modules, which can be read in conjunction or used as standalone documents for practitioners seeking guidance on a specific topic. The modules are also supported by checklists and tools (found at the end of the toolkit). The toolkit is comprised of the following modules:

  • Module 1 – This introductory module explains why gender is a critical consideration in climate change programmes, projects and strategies, defines the key approaches and concepts, and clarifies some common misconceptions.

  • Module 2 – Introduces the different phases of a typical climate change programme/project cycle, identifies potential entry-points for integrating gender perspectives in each phase and also includes a generic gender checklist that may be applied to programmes and projects.

  • Module 3 – Focuses on the links between gender and climate change in specific sectors and uses sector relevant case studies to demonstrate how gender perspectives can be applied in the identification and assessment of climate change problems and solutions. The sectors considered are food security, water, energy and disaster risk reduction. Key gender indicators are also provided to support monitoring and evaluation.

  • Module 4 – This final module examines gender in relation to climate change governance. It discusses how to integrate gender considerations in institutional arrangements, policy coordination and negotiations, and climate change finance.

Resources in the toolkit

Tools:

  • Tool 1: Weather and climate hazard assessment – integrating gender
  • Tool 2: Vulnerability and adaptation assessment – integrating gender
  • Tool 3: Feasibility assessment – integrating gender
  • Tool 4: Cost benefit analysis (CBA) Framework – integrating gender
  • Tool 5: Policy, programme and project screening matrix
  • Tool 6: Gender Action Plan

Checklists:

  1. Gender analysis checklist for food security and climate change within a programme or project cycle
  2. Gender analysis checklist for water resource management and climate chang within a programme or project cycle
  3. Gender analysis checklist for energy within a programme or project cycle
  4. Gender analysis checklist for disaster risk reduction within a programme or project cycle
  5. Gender analysis checklist for health within a programme or project cycle
  6. Gender analysis checklist for governance and climate change

Key messages

There is a high degree of diversity between and within social groups, including women and men, in terms of climate change risk. Some people are more vulnerable and some more adaptable than others, often depending on their age, sex, gender, education, social status, wealth and access to important resources (e.g. information, finance, energy, water and land).

Integrating gender perspectives and gender-responsive approaches into climate change and development priorities is vital for addressing underlying inequalities between men and women. More approaches and interventions that proactively consider the power relations between women and men, and support positive changes that allow both women and men to enjoy and exercise their rights, are needed.

Effective gender mainstreaming systematically integrates a gender perspective into every phase of the programme, project and policy cycle. The process follows a similar route to climate change mainstreaming and has seven phases – preparatory, situational analysis, problem analysis, solution analysis, design, implementation and M&E, and adaptive management.

Engage both women and men at all decision-making levels of climate change action. Women and men have different abilities, knowledge, skills, roles, responsibilities and needs. Active engagement and participation at all stages of the gender mainstreaming process, particularly when decisions are made, gives both women and men a say in climate change strategies and can ensure they are appropriate for local contexts. Meaningful participation is crucial for achieving gender equality.

Apply a gender lens to climate-sensitive development sectors including food security, water, energy, disaster risk reduction, and health. In each development sector women and men have different yet complementary roles and responsibilities, make different contributions, but have unequal access to and control of key resources (e.g. financial, technological, health services, energy, water, land and other natural resources). Sector programmes must equitably allocate support and resources that are also tailored to the specific needs of women and men; for example, training in the use of new technologies must target capacity building for women and men.

Climate change governance structures must be gender-responsive and empowering to women at all levels. Women must have the same opportunity as men to participate in the development of high-level policies and in decision making processes, such as at the national level and in the context of the UNFCCC, but equally important are the local governance and management mechanisms put in place to ensure shared benefits of local-level initiatives. Gender integration must occur in policy planning, budgeting and implementation.

Gender-responsive climate change interventions often bring about co-benefits for all of society. Experiences and evidence shows that the effective integration of gender in climate change and development policies, programmes and projects brings about more successful and equitable adaptation, more significant vulnerability reduction, and a host of co-benefits both within the target sector and across wider society.

This Toolkit is a Living Document We encourage you to share your experiences of using this toolkit, including what modules and tools you found useful, and what worked and what didn’t. Your ongoing feedback will help us ensure the Toolkit remains a living document and a useful resource for climate change practitioners in the region. Please send your comments to [email protected]

Suggested Citation

Vunisea, A., Leduc, B., Bernard, K., Duaibe, K. and Cleary, L., Manley, M. and Leavai, P. (2015) The Pacific Gender & Climate Change Toolkit.

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