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Paper short abstract:

While inter-governmental authorities acknowledge women’s protection including gender-based violence issues in the context of climate change-related displacement, community consultations prioritizing women-led NGO participation in policy/decision making processes is overlooked and should be revisited

Paper long abstract:

As climate change impacts intensify, mobility of populations away from high-risk areas will likely increase. Both the process (movement) and the results (for displaced and left-behind communities) of climate change-related relocations are gendered. With pre-existing gender inequalities compounding their vulnerabilities, women and girls are among the worst impacted.

While the inter-governmental UN agencies and government authorities acknowledge women’s protection including gender-based violence issues in the context of climate change-related displacement, community consultations prioritizing women-led NGO participation in policy/decision making processes is often overlooked and should be revisited. If relevant frameworks and assessments during bi-lateral international development programmes do not proactively include how communities particularly women perceive and address climate risks in their daily lives, and do not consider diverse perspectives, knowledge and ways of living of affected populations and women, they may result in problematic decisions and processes. This may then exacerbate marginalization, feelings of discrimination and inequality, as well as the erosion of cultural and social capital, leading to unintended negative consequences.

Adopting a gender lens helps to identify and respond to specific risks and needs, and highlights the essential roles women-led CSOs and NGOs can take on in leading sustainable transformations and SDGs. International funding and policy frameworks collaborating closely with the governments should address the multi-dimensional and long-term challenges by fostering engagement with community. This needs to consider intersectional and often long-standing structural issues (e.g. gender inequality, uneven access to resources and services) faced by the affected populations, as well as the existing power dynamics and exclusions.