Paper short abstract:

Impacts of climate change are not gender-neutral and are likely to be heightened for displaced women. This research unpacks the gendered and differentiated impacts of climate change on forcibly displaced people and explores the root causes of inequality and marginalisation.

Paper long abstract:

The Arab States have been experiencing unprecedented changes to weather and environmental patterns, which are predicted to only worsen in the coming decades. Climate change is a 'threat multiplier'. Within the fragile and vulnerable state of the region, climate change is amplifying and expected to further amplify pre-existing challenges around food and water security, and broader development challenges such as poverty, displacement, health, employment, and gender inequality. And thereby, climate risks should be looked at within the context of wider intersectional issues the region faces. While women experience disproportionate impacts from climate change - the impacts are not uniform and climate risks are more likely to be acute for at-risk women, including those living in displacement. This study, carried out in partnership with the UNDP's Regional Bureau for Arab States, aims to investigate the differentiated impacts of climate change on men and women, with a specific emphasis on people living in displacement in four Arab nations: Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq, and Yemen. Data was obtained from a variety of sources, including reports, peer-reviewed articles, evaluations, presentations, news articles, and statistics, covering topics related to climate change, gender, and migration/displacement. To supplement the available information and provide new insights, FGDs were held with displaced men and women in Iraq, and KIIs were conducted with frontline and field workers to generate new evidence on the unique challenges facing and the experiences of forcibly displaced people.