The document discusses how climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction efforts must incorporate a gender perspective to be effective. It notes that roles and vulnerabilities related to climate change differ between women and men due to socially constructed gender differences. The presentation covers how gender affects climate change impacts, energy use, development, and disasters. It emphasizes that policies and programs and need to recognize women's knowledge and capacities, while also addressing their specific vulnerabilities and priorities. Gender mainstreaming strategies that involve both women and men are key to ensuring equality and effectiveness in climate adaptation and risk reduction.

1. Climate Change Adaptation and
Disaster Risk Reduction are
NOT gender neutral
Heinrich Boell Foundation
Second Regional Summer School
‘Climate Change Challenges in the Arab
Middle East and North Africa’
Amman, 1 October 2012
Irene Dankelman
IRDANA Advice
Radboud University Nijmegen

2. Objectives of this session
To build common understanding of the linkages
between gender issues and climate change:
concepts and analysis.
To look into the diverse roles and responsibilities
of women and men re. climate change
adaptation and disaster risk reductions.
Give some guidance and ideas on the relevance
and steps to integrate a gender perspective.

3. ぷオォァゑィろ
9:00 Presentation Irene:
A. Why gender issues?
B. Gender and climate change
C. Gender in CC adaptation and DRM
D. What can we do?
09:45 Discussion based on presentation and
on your own experiences
10:30 Break
Continuation today+tomorrow: much more detail
today+tomorrow:

4. A. Gender Issues
In your work you experience:
Not all people are the same, have the same
position, control, rights or (decision-
(decision-
making) power.
A gender lens helps to identify the differences
between men and women, as individuals
and as groups.
And it encourages to act in such a way that
inequality is prevented and countervailed
and that equality is supported.

5. はろィれろェ
Is a dynamic concept that refers to the different
roles, rights and responsibilities of women and
men in society.
It identifies the social relations between
men and women.
Is generally associated with unequal power
and unequal access to and control over
resources.
Also other important of differentiators :
class, caste, ethnicity, religion, welfare, age!

6. Gender is socially constructed; gender
constructed;
relations are context specific - influenced by
historical, religious, cultural, economic, and
environmental realities - and subject to
change in response to altering
circumstances.
Constitute and are constructed by a range of
institutions, e.g. family, educational, legal
and market systems.

7. No gender-neutrality!
gender-
In many situations women in disadvantaged position:
• Of the 1.3 billion people in poverty – 60-70% women
60-
• Women work 2/3 of the world’s working hours
• Produce half of the world’s food
• Earn 10% of the world income
• Own less than 1% of the world’s property
• Are (generally) discriminated in education, training
• Face gender-based violence.
gender-

8. On the other hand women are crucial
actors,
actors, have a lot of potential and
capabilities (A. Sen, 1995/1999), such as
knowlegde, experience, skills, and visions.

9. Opportunities
“Given equal access to opportunities and
resources, women like men have proven
to be efficient, dynamic and indispensable
partners in development.
Together, on the farm, and at all levels of
society, women and men constitute a
formidable partnership to achieve food
security in the 21st century.”
(www.fao.org/gender)
www.fao.org/gender)

10. Women or Gender?
Talking about gender: we tend to focus on
the position of women.
Reason: often – but not always – women
in disadvantaged position -> their position
needs to be improved in order to advance
gender equality.
Do not forget it is about relationship
women-
women-men!
Involve men in our efforts!

11. B1. Gender aspects Development
Apart from their functions in the household (incl.
gathering fuel, water, fodder, cleaning, cooking,
child care),
In many regions women are the important food
producers and processors (for own consumption
and market).
However: lack of decision-making power,
decision-
land-
land- and waterrights,
credit, extension services, resources,
information.

12. B2. Gender aspects Energy use
In many regions in the world: women main
providers of energy for household, particularly
biomass energy (fuel-wood, crop residues,
cowdung), and land-users.
This costs them lots of human energy (and
health). Environmental degradation: costs
more and more time and effort energy
poverty (2 billion people)
Use of energy: heating, cooking, lightning,
transport, income generation, communication.
Indoor air pollution: major health problems;
2 million deaths per year,
and many disabilities

13. Energy choices
climate change mitigation
Women and men have different roles:
Household energy – mainly women;
Energy sector – male dominated; women’s needs,
priorities, visions neglected.
Women tend to make consumption choices that
are more sustainable (e.g. preference for
renewable energy, public transport) and more
healthy important consumption force.

14. B3. Climatic Changes and Gender
IPCC (2007): poor communities
esp. vulnerable.
Vulnerability: …” the characteristics
of a person or group and their
situation influencing their capacity
to anticipate, cope with, resist and
recover from the impact of a
hazard.”
Vulnerability approach needed
gender is a determining factor.

15. What determines vulnerability?
Livelihood resilience (e.g. access to/control over
assets)
Baseline wellbeing (e.g. nutritional status, physical
and mental health)
Self-protection (e.g. safe houses, safe sites)
Social protection (e.g. disaster preparedness
community, social networks)
Governance (e.g. institutional environment) .
15

16. Gender and (natural) disasters
Study London School of Economics
(2007), 141 natural disasters
(1981-
(1981-2002):
(a) Natural disasters lower life
expectancy of women more
than that of men
(b) The stronger the disaster,
the greater the effect
(c) The higher women’s socio-
socio-
economic status, the weaker the
effect.

17. WHY ARE WOMEN
OFTEN MORE VULNERABLE
Women often more vulnerable through:
• socially constructed roles, incl. reproductive roles
• poverty – female headed households
• less access to/control over resources, e.g. land
• dependent on/work in informal sector
• less mobile
• lack information
• lack education and training
• less decision-making power
• violence against women increases
in stress situations.
> Women are not vulnerable because they are
women, but because they are made vulnerable.
17

18. Climate change impacts
on human security
Climate change: in many ways not different
from other slow-onset and rapid disasters.
Loss of livelihoods and basic resources:
Often women slip deeper into poverty,
workload increases, health impacted,
increased migration.
Climatic changes: tend to amplify existing
inequalities.
Not only women’s vulnerabilities, but also their
capacities and capabilities challenged.

19. Human security =
security of survival, security of
livelihood, and dignity.
Climate change = impacts on
differently on men’s and
particularly women’s security.
Women and men = affected +
crucial actors in coping, adapting
and countervailing and
mitigation.
(Potential) Policy Responses and
Projects should build on that.

20. People’s coping strategies –
strengthening security
In many communities not only men, but certainly also women
> Important agents of change – not just victims!
> Contributors to livelihood adaptations, e.g. moving to safer
places, saving their assets, dietary adaptations, energy saving,
adapting agriculture, earning an income, ecological restoration,
alternative health care etc. etc.
> Mobilizing community in disaster preparedness, adaptation
and mitigation.
Voicing their priorities policy lessons.

21. (Inter)national Policy-frameworks
Policy-
* Convention on the Eradication of all forms
of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW)
* Sustainable Development:
Agenda 21, conventions, Rio+20
* MDGs SDGs
* United Framework Convention
on Climate Change (UNFCCC)
* Kyoto Protocol and beyond
* Mechanisms: Clean Development
Mechanisms, Adaptation Funds
*National Adaptation Plans
*National Energy Plans.

22. Lessons learned:
Climate change is not gender neutral.
Gender important determinant
(determining factor) in climate change
mitigation and adaptation.
Women/men face specific
risks, challenges and
vulnerabilities.

23. Gender differences – not just in terms of
differential vulnerability, but also as
differential capacity.
Women play key roles in protecting,
managing and recovering their
household and assets before,
during/after disaster and climatic changes.
Policy level and organizational level: need to
fully recognize gender-specific
gender-
characteristics of vulnerability and adaptive
capacity.

24. Greater inclusion of women and inclusion
of gender-specific approaches may
gender-
reverse climate change impacts.
Wide range of (policy) opportunities for
adaptive measures that address women’s
priorities in times of climate change.

25. C. Strategies and actions
Gender Mainstreaming
= strategy for making women’s as well
as men’s concerns and experiences an
integral part of design, implementation,
monitoring and evaluation of policies
and programmes in all political, societal,
economic and environmental spheres, so
that women and men benefit equally,
and inequality is not perpetuated.
(see adaptation plans Jordan, Egypt)

26. Five Arguments
for GM in CCA
(1) Capitalize on the talents, capacities and
contributions of both women and men:
policies more successful, efficient,
effective.
(2) Avoid increasing (unintended) effects of
CCA policies and action on gender
(in)equality and poverty

27. (3) Be mutually benefiting: CCA policies
benefiting:
can empower women and improve living
conditions of women, their families and
whole communities.
(4) Ensure more coherence with existing
social/gender policies and existing
gender/HR obligations
(5) Working from a gender perspective =
‘eye-opener’ for social dimensions of
eye-opener’
CCA.

28. Gender mainstreaming involves
Understanding gender-differences in
gender-
access to and control over resources, labour,
water uses, water rights, and distribution of
benefits and production
(research/study/train).
Gender (CC) expertise.
Apply gender analysis: looks at relations
analysis:
between women and men and how these are
negotiated.
Use of sex-disaggregated data.
sex- data.

29. • Gender sensitive monitoring and evaluation.
evaluation.
• Use gender-specific indicators.
gender- indicators.
• Gender responsive budgeting.
budgeting.
• Involve women and men: participatory approaches
(e.g. CBA El Moudda project, Morocco)
• Understand gender dimensions that facilitate or hinder
gender equality in our own organisations.

30. D. What can we do?
Recognize, research and integrate gender
aspects of energy use (access and choices),
climate change, and disaster risk management.
Recognize, research and integrate gender
aspects in our CC and DRM policies and actions.
Apply a gender analysis in climate change and
DRM policies, mechanisms and actions.

31. Advocacy to ensure global and national energy, climate
change and DRM policies, programs and budgets
benefit vulnerable groups and make use of the capacities
of all ‘knowledge carriers’, in particular women.
Reduce drudgery of women in communities and increase
their access to clean technologies, training and to
resources (incl. land, water, agricultural inputs).
Funds (incl. GEF, adaptation funds) should prioritize
GEF,
women’s needs and promote their rights.

32. Empowerment women alongside men in
all sectors is crucial: in our organizations,
through community participation,
awareness raising and training, control
over resources and decision-making at all
decision-
levels.
Make these efforts common responsibility
of women and men.

33. Cooperate with existing networks: HBF,
HBF,
WEDO (Women’s Environment and
Development Organisation), gender-cc
Organisation), gender-
Women for Climate Justice, IUCN,
IUCN,
ENERGIA etc.
Cooperate as organizations and
institutions focusing on human/women’s
rights and those focusing on
environmental/CC issues and DRM.
DRM.