UN Women makes a bold call as COP30 opens in Belém
With world leaders gathering in Belém, Brazil for the 30th UN Climate Change Conference (COP30), UN Women has issued a clarion call: gender equality must be central to all climate action. The agency argues that without a transformative, well-funded, and accountable Gender Action Plan (GAP), efforts to combat climate change will fall short of the ambitions needed to protect communities, accelerate sustainable development, and close persistent gender gaps.
The GAP is framed as more than a policy add-on. It is a blueprint to ensure that climate strategies explicitly account for women’s leadership, participation, and access to resources—elements that research consistently ties to more effective and equitable climate outcomes. UN Women emphasizes that women are disproportionately affected by climate shocks—facing heightened risks in droughts, floods, and food insecurity—yet they also hold crucial knowledge and leadership capacity to drive resilience at every level.
Why a Gender Action Plan now?
COP30 arrives at a pivotal moment when climate finance, adaptation funding, and technology transfer must accelerate. UN Women argues that integrating gender equality into climate policy is not optional but essential. A well-funded GAP would translate into concrete measures: gender-responsive budgeting for climate programs, robust sex-disaggregated data to tailor interventions, and accountability mechanisms that track progress toward equal participation and outcomes.
Beyond moral and social justice considerations, gender-inclusive climate action has pragmatic benefits. When women’s voices are included in planning, communities experience better risk assessment, more sustainable household and local infrastructure choices, and stronger social safety nets. The GAP would support female-led climate initiatives, amplify women’s participation in decision-making bodies, and ensure financing reaches frontline organizations that understand local vulnerabilities.
What a robust GAP would entail
Experts describe a GAP as a living framework with several core components. First, explicit commitments to gender equality across climate strategies, with targets that are measurable and time-bound. Second, dedicated funding streams and transparent reporting to prevent gender-blind budgeting. Third, mechanisms for accountability, including monitoring by independent bodies and regular progress updates to the public. Finally, capacity-building and leadership development to empower women at the community, national, and global levels.
UN Women also calls for better data—sex-disaggregated indicators that reveal who benefits from climate programs and who remains underserved. This data is critical for course-correcting policies that may unintentionally widen inequality gaps. In addition, the GAP would encourage the inclusion of women in climate governance roles, from local councils to international negotiating forums, ensuring decisions reflect diverse perspectives and lived experiences.
Global cooperation and local impact
While COP30 serves as a global stage, the impact of a GAP would be felt at the grassroots level. Countries could adapt the framework to their contexts, aligning national climate plans with gender-responsive development goals. Local communities—particularly women farmers, small-business owners, and caregivers—stand to benefit from targeted support such as access to climate finance, technical training, and inclusive adaptation programs that acknowledge unpaid care work and time constraints faced by women.
In Belém, the conversation is not merely about rights but about practical, scalable solutions that make climate action fairer and more effective. A successful GAP would also help close gender gaps in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields related to climate research, thereby expanding the talent pool driving innovation in clean energy, resilience, and adaptation technologies.
Call to action for COP30 participants
UN Women urges negotiators, funders, and civil society to back a funded, accountable GAP as a central pillar of COP30 outcomes. The rationale is straightforward: climate justice and climate success go hand in hand when gender equality is prioritized. As negotiations advance, the adoption of a comprehensive GAP could set a precedent for future climate negotiations and signal a sustained commitment to an inclusive, effective, and equitable global climate agenda.
Conclusion
Gender equality must be central to global climate action. The GAP offers a clear path to ensure climate policies are not only ambitious but also fair, effective, and grounded in the realities of those who bear the climate burden most. As COP30 unfolds, the world should watch for a concrete, well-funded GAP that elevates women’s leadership and delivers tangible, measurable progress for communities worldwide.
