The creation of the ccGAP as well as the expansion of the pipeline of projects promoting gender equality were two of the project’s main outcomes.
Millions of people are impacted annually by extreme weather events in Pakistan, which is extremely vulnerable to climate change. A national climate change gender action plan has been created by the government in response to this in collaboration with the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and other organisations (ccGAP). The plan seeks to ensure that national actions in six priority sectors are gender-responsive.
Pakistan is one of the nations that is most susceptible to the broad and cross-sectoral effects of climate change. According to the Global Climate Risk Index 2016, Pakistan is one of the countries that consistently experiences extreme weather.
For instance, in 2014, 2.5 million people were impacted by monsoons that followed dry spells, which resulted in the destruction of 130,000 homes and more than 1 million acres of cropland.
The Government of Pakistan and its stakeholders have undertaken a project to develop a national climate change gender action plan (ccGAP) to ensure gender-responsive national actions across the six priority sectors.
This pilot effort enhances existing and nascent policy and programming while elevating the country’s position as an international leader in inclusive sustainable development, climate action, and resilience.
Gender inequality limits widespread social, political, and economic security and well-being, according to the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Report 2022.
Pakistan recognizes that climate change affects women and men differently and that women and men have distinct capabilities as agents for change. Narrowing the gender gaps is essential to building climate preparedness and resilience for all.
The Climate Change Gender Action Plan (ccGAP), a cross-sectoral national action plan, was developed using a multi-stakeholder, cross-sectoral, and participatory approach.
It aims to build institutional and stakeholder capacity on gender and environment linkages, synergize national commitments for gender and climate action, and develop creative projects that empower both men and women to be change agents, enhancing Pakistan’s readiness for climate action and resilience.
Government, civil society, academia, researchers, the private sector, and individual experts were among the major parties involved in the process.
The creation of the ccGAP as well as the expansion of the pipeline of projects promoting gender equality were two of the project’s main outcomes.
The National Designated Authority (NDA)/Ministry of Climate Change was expected to have improved knowledge and capacity to support other ministries in the implementation of the suggested actions, as well as an efficient mechanism for coordinating gender equality.
Additionally, it involved the development of capacities and the execution of climate change actions with women’s organisations and gender focal points. Along with the creation of the ccGAP, the entire procedure was also written down for distribution.
An essential benchmark was the analysis of sectoral gender gaps. The creation of the ccGAP itself was a learning process that included idea exchange, capacity building, and stereotype challenge.
Six priority sectors—agriculture and food security, forestry and biodiversity, disaster risk reduction, water and sanitation, integrated coastal management, and energy and transport—were each subject to a gender gap analysis. The analysis highlighted issues and pointed out important steps.
The action plan was developed around four main themes: capacity building, gender balance, policies and management mechanisms, and adaptation and mitigation strategies. The ccGAP strongly advises using gender-segregated data to review the indicators on a regular basis and track advancement after ccGAP implementation.
Numerous representatives of important stakeholders from both the federal and provincial levels were involved in the process and consulted.
The ccGAP was similarly launched with the provinces through their Planning and Development Departments after the national launch in order to gain a wider understanding and be incorporated into their planning processes.
In some cases, an institutional mechanism on gender mainstreaming and climate change adaptation and mitigation exists, but both are unrelated to one another, as was also revealed during the provincial sessions.
The first ccGAP implementation in Pakistan is slated to include a number of initiatives. To promote gender mainstreaming in upcoming government and civil society projects, the IUCN is disseminating and promoting the document.
To honour and commend the leading women and women’s organisations for taking the lead on gender and climate impact, IUCN, the French Embassy, and AFD jointly launched the first Gender and Climate Award.
The government has expressed interest in and ensured support for gender mainstreaming across their programme at various levels. It is a very hopeful initiative, especially if we all work together to keep it moving forward.
The national ccGAP was created in accordance with Pakistan’s international commitments, particularly the UNFCCC, NDCs, and SDGs. The action plan is in accordance with the UNFCCC Gender Action Plan, which includes gender-responsive implementation and means of implementation, monitoring, and reporting. It also includes gender building, participation, and women’s leadership.