CKB Module: Advancing Gender Equality in Climate Knowledge Brokering

Learning objectives

After watching this video, you will:

• Have a better understanding of why it is important to incorporate gender into climate knowledge brokering.
• Know which practical steps you can take to further this agenda.

The video

Case studies

Example 1: Improving awareness among decision makers of the importance of gender to climate change initiatives

• Risk Management and Climate Change Adaptation Networks in Peru (known locally as GRIDES) bring together NGOs, CSOs – including women’s groups – universities and research institutes, as well as local and regional decision makers, to exchange knowledge and experiences around disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation and to advocate for the inclusion of these issues in local and regional policy.
• The Gender Equality and Climate Compatible Development: Drivers and Challenges to People’s Empowerment study found that where women played a leading role in the GRIDES, local government climate change adaptation and DRR plans included an implicit gender approach.

Example 2: Empowering women through the collection and dissemination of gender-sensitive information

• Women’s participation in the production of resilience plans Gorakhpur , India, contributed substantially to impact and sustainability, including local committee functioning, access to potable water and the uptake of Climate Resilient Agriculture techniques.
• The Gender Equality and Climate Compatible Development: Drivers and Challenges to People’s Empowerment study found that greater gender transformation came about when women were involved as agents rather than mere recipients, for example when spaces were created for women to share their experiences and perspectives and to contribute to decision-making processes.

Example 3: Improving the access of women to climate knowledge

• The Scaling Up Climate Services for Farmers in Africa and South Asia project led by the CGIAR CCAFS concluded that the use of ‘hybrid’ communication methods – traditional information sharing channels, such as social networks, complemented by simple and affordable ICTs – is the most effective way of increasing women’s access and use of climate information services.

For more resources see weADAPT’s theme on Gener & Social Equality.

What can you do?

Ask yourself:

• How can incorporating gender issues into climate knowledge help me to achieve my objectives?
• How can I incentivise climate knowledge producers, brokers and users to help me in these efforts?
• How can I include a gender approach in the different elements of climate knowledge brokering I carry out? For example, which gender disaggregated data could I include when synthesising climate information? Or how can I engage stakeholders, including men and women from different sectors, interest groups and socio-economic levels, in knowledge production?
• Do I/does my organisation have people with the necessary skills? In which areas do we need to build capacity?

Find out:

• Where you can source gender-sensitive climate information that is relevant to the needs of your target audiences
• The main information gaps – how can you help address these?
• Successful experiences where marginalised and vulnerable groups’ access to climate information has been increased
• Which tools are available to help you measure whether your activities are really improving gender equality