The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is seeking applications for Gender and Climate Awards to promote the inclusion and leadership of women in climate action.
Gender equality impedes human development, preventing half of the population from participating in social, political, and economic life.
The Gender and Climate Award is in line with the gender policy objectives of the National Climate Change Policy of the Government of Pakistan (October 2021). It is also a concrete follow-up to the launch by IUCN and the Ministry of Climate Change (MoCC) of the Climate Change Gender Action Plan (ccGAP) (July 2022). The ccGAP supports inclusive policy dialogue, capacity development, and pilot projects for women by focusing on recognizing gender equality as a core principle, and inclusion of women in local and national level policy programs and designs.
It emphasizes the need to increase the integration of gender considerations—such as addressing women’s specific vulnerability to natural disasters, understanding women’s role in agriculture and food production, and supporting women entrepreneurs in the energy and transportation sectors—as well as to increase climate-related resources that integrate gender priorities and reflect the needs of women and girls.
Objectives
- To highlight the central contribution of women in the fight for the climate and the need to integrate gender equality in all policies resulting from the Paris Agreement. The award will draw attention to good practices and concrete solutions led by women from civil society for a more fair, equal, and healthy planet.
- This project responds to the Paris Agreement’s objective of promoting gender equity and justice, and youth engagement, in climate action. The Award will recognize initiatives, projects, and solutions with women or gender perspectives.
Thematic Areas
- Agroecology, agroforestry, family farming, and sustainable fisheries: sustainable and resilient agricultural systems, allowing women to improve their production, nutrition and reduce their workload, to be more autonomous within their household and community (preservation/restoration of soils, land, and marine ecosystems; increasing adaptation and resilience to the effects of climate change (traditional seeds, crop diversification, livestock-crop association, improved sustainable agricultural, fisheries and livestock practices).
- Rural development and women’s empowerment: access to and control of productive resources and land, access to infrastructure and services (e.g. economic services provided by professional agricultural organizations, advice, training, veterinary services). Access to finance, entrepreneurial development, and participation in the governance of local committees or cooperatives.
- Sustainable management of natural resources and biodiversity: preservation of resources, integrated management of natural resources, biodiversity, forest conservation, conservation of marine and freshwater ecosystems, fight against desertification.
- Water and sanitation: access to water, integrated water resources management, taking into account the increase in women’s domestic responsibilities due to the impacts of climate change, setting up inclusive and eco-responsible sanitation facilities, participation of women in water management of services or in the water sector’s decision-making bodies.
- Energy and waste: energy efficiency, renewable energy, transport, waste management, and recovery.
- Climate risk prevention and disaster management: inclusive access to information on climate risk and disaster management, participation of women in DRM decision-making bodies, taking into account women’s mobility restrictions, and women’s increased exposure to post-disaster gender-based violence, national and local climate risk prevention and management programs including gender issues (gender-sensitive prevention, insurance systems, post-disaster reconstruction programs (income-generating activities for women), taking into account the specific challenges of emergency shelter camps (location of sanitary facilities, separation of women and men, security).
- Governance and advocacy: participation of women in national and international advocacy campaigns (including with youth), improving governance bodies (technical committees, trade unions, etc.) for adopting climate-smart and gender-responsive initiatives, promoting the use of technology to support climate objectives, and ensuring gender proofing of the climate change-related policies and programs.
Benefit
- Three ‘Award Winners will be selected by a jury. The first prize will receive 3 500 EUR, the second prize will receive 2 500 EUR, and the third prize will receive 2 000 EUR.
Eligibility Criteria
- All activists, and grassroots and women-led organizations (including community-based organizations, private education institutions, and social enterprises) working for climate protection and/or gender equality. Only non-governmental initiatives are eligible. Initiatives or projects led by local, provincial, or national governments will not be considered. The awards will recognize ongoing initiatives or projects, launched within the past 5 years. The awards are open to eligible applicants from across Pakistan.
- Initiatives will be weighed against the following criteria aimed to measure contributions to gender equality, climate resilience, and sustainability. Winning projects will ideally work across all of the key result areas, though the organizers note that not all projects will be in a position/stage to meet each and every criterion.
- Result Area 1: Women’s rights and Gender Equality
- Empowering women – e.g. through improved economic empowerment, improved food security, improved health, access to clean water, etc. (as many benefits as possible) ;
- Promoting and enhancing women’s democratic rights, participation, and leadership, by ensuring decision-making by local women, women’s groups, co-operatives, and communities ;
- Providing equal access, benefits, and participation, to economic resources and opportunities, for women, men, and youth;
- Contributing to reducing, or not adding up to, women’s workload (e.g. increased family responsibility, increased management of natural resources).
- Result Area 2: Climate Resilience
- Contributing to the fight against climate change: climate change mitigation or climate adaptation, encouraging self-sufficiency, and low resource consumption, supporting youth engagement;
- Ensuring self-sufficiency & a low input of resources (safe, affordable, and sustainable)
- Developing and/or providing innovative and locally led climate-smart solutions to mitigate climate change’s impact on women.
More information, Gender and Climate Awards
