COP28 launches partnership to support women’s economic empowerment and ensure a gender-responsive just transition at COP28 Gender Equality Day

  • Gender Equality Day at COP28 saw ministers and high-level officials convene for a high-level dialogue to advance gender-responsive just transitions to support the implementation of the Paris Agreement.
  • During the event, led by UN Climate Change High-Level Champion H.E. Razan Khalifa Al Mubarak, the COP28 Presidency revealed a new COP28 Gender-Responsive Just Transitions & Climate Action Partnership.
  • Endorsed by over 60 Parties, the Partnership includes a package of commitments that signatories will implement over the next three years before reconvening at COP31.
  • According to the International Labor Organization (ILO), 1.2 billion jobs are at risk due to global warming and environmental degradation and women are expected to be most severely impacted due to their high representation in sectors particularly vulnerable to climate change.
  • The Gender Equality Day was an opportunity to highlight the need for equal opportunities in both emerging and impacted job markets.

4 December 2023:

During COP28’s Gender Equality Day, ministers and senior officials convened in a series of discussions, supported by the UNFCCC and led by UN Climate Change High-Level Champion for COP28 Razan Al Mubarak, to ensure a gender-responsive just transition to support the implementation of the Paris Agreement.

 

The high-level dialogue culminated in the announcement of a new COP28 Gender-Responsive Just Transitions & Climate Action Partnership from the COP28 Presidency, which was endorsed by over 60 Parties. The Partnership includes a package of commitments, including actions on data, finance, and equal opportunities. Implementation will be reviewed at a second convening during COP31.

 

According to the International Labor Organization (ILO), 1.2 billion jobs, representing 40 percent of the global labor force, are at risk due to global warming and environmental degradation.[1] Women are expected to be most severely affected due to their high representation in sectors particularly susceptible to climate change.

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The transition to a low-carbon and sustainable economy will lead to both the elimination and transformation of some jobs, as well as the creation of new roles. Ministers and high-level officials have therefore agreed on a series of commitments to support women’s economic empowerment and ensure women’s livelihoods are protected during this transition. 

 

Razan Al Mubarak said: “Climate change is not gender neutral – it disproportionately impacts women and girls. Already, the climate crisis amplifies existing gender inequalities and poses a serious threat to women’s livelihoods, health and wellbeing. To deliver a just transition, we must reform the architecture of the global financial system and ensure finance flows to the regions and the people who need it the most. But we must also invest in women’s economic empowerment to ensure no one is left behind."

 

The new partnership builds on objectives previously outlined in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Gender Action Plan, which set out activities under five key priority areas to advance understanding of gender-responsive climate action. In particular, the new COP28 Gender-Responsive Just Transitions & Climate Action Partnership centers around three core pillars: better quality data to support decision making in transition planning, more effective finance flows to regions most impacted by climate change, and education, skills and capacity building to support individual engagement in transitions. 

 

UN Women Executive Director Sima Bahous said: “The rights of women and girls must be at the center of climate action, including here at COP28. We must ensure that women have a seat at the decision-making table. We must strengthen inclusive decision-making so that the voices of feminists, youth, indigenous and other grassroot movements can be heard loud and clear from the local to the global level.”

 

By mid-century, it is predicted that climate change could push up to 158 million more women and girls into poverty globally (16 million more than the total number of men and boys).[2] To ensure climate finance appropriately serves the needs of women and girls, particularly those in climate vulnerable regions, it is critical to address the current gender data gap to further understand how women are impacted by climate change.

 

The countries that have endorsed the Partnership are:

 

  1. Albania
  2. Andorra
  3. Antigua and Barbuda
  4. Armenia
  5. Austria
  6. Australia
  7. Azerbaijan
  8. Bangladesh
  9. Belgium
  10. Burkina Faso
  11. Canada
  12. Chile
  13. China
  14. Chad
  15. Colombia
  16. Comoros
  17. Costa Rica
  18. Cote d’Ivoire
  19. Cyprus
  20. Denmark
  21. DRC
  22. Dominican Republic
  23. Finland
  24. Fiji
  25. France
  26. Germany
  27. Guatemala
  28. Hungary
  29. Ireland
  30. Israel
  31. Jordan
  32. Kiribati
  33. Kyrgyzstan
  34. Latvia
  35. Lebanon
  36. Lesotho
  37. Mali
  38. Mexico
  39. Micronesia
  40. Moldova
  41. Monaco
  42. Mongolia
  43. Morocco
  44. Netherlands
  45. Nicaragua
  46. Nigeria
  47. Norway
  48. Pakistan
  49. Palau
  50. Paraguay
  51. Peru
  52. Poland
  53. Portugal
  54. Rwanda
  55. Serbia
  56. Seychelles
  57. Sierra Leone
  58. Slovenia
  59. Sri Lanka
  60. Spain
  61. Sweden
  62. Tuvalu
  63. UAE
  64. Ukraine
  65. UK
  66. US
  67. Uruguay
  68. Venezuela

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