Navigating the Intersection of Gender, Climate, and Security: A Call to Action for Stakeholders

As we confront the multifaceted challenges of the 21st century, the interplay between gender, climate change, and security has emerged as a critical area of concern. The Global Climate Security (GCS) Policy Report underscores the urgency of addressing these intertwined issues, offering a comprehensive framework for understanding their connections and implications. This reflective piece aims to explore these themes and provide recommendations for future research and funding priorities, targeting researchers, policymakers, funders, advocacy groups, and philanthropic organizations working on gender and climate, gender and energy transitions, and just transitions.

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Climate Change: A Threat Multiplier

Climate change acts as a "threat multiplier," exacerbating existing vulnerabilities and creating new risks for communities worldwide. Its impacts, including loss of livelihoods, food insecurity, resource competition, human displacement, and political and economic instability, are particularly severe in fragile and conflict-affected regions. These areas often lack effective governance, which compounds the adverse effects of climate change and can escalate tensions, potentially leading to violence.

The report emphasizes that the combined pressures of climate change and socio-political and economic stresses undermine development gains and disrupt fragile peace processes. Violent conflict and political instability further reduce communities' resilience, making them less equipped to cope with climate change effects. This vicious cycle necessitates urgent and coordinated action to build resilience and foster inclusive peace.

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Gender Dimensions of Climate Change and Security

The security risks associated with climate change have significant gender dimensions, influencing how men and women of different backgrounds experience and contribute to insecurity. Research indicates a strong correlation between gender inequality, climate vulnerability, and state fragility. For instance, violence against women environmental activists and defenders of environmental rights highlights the differentiated experiences of men and women.

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Despite the recognized importance of gender dimensions, they are often inadequately addressed in international climate-security policymaking. For example, during a UN Security Council debate in January 2019 on the impacts of climate-related disasters on peace and security, only five out of 75 member states mentioned gender considerations. This omission represents a significant gap, especially as the international community ramps up efforts to address climate-related security risks in fragile contexts.

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Socio-Economic Shifts and Gender Norms

On the ground, climate change is leading to significant socio-economic shifts, including changes in traditional gender norms related to economic activity, social relationships, and leadership. For example, in Sudan, resource scarcity caused by conflict, drought, and exclusionary decision-making has altered migratory patterns in pastoralist communities, often leaving women to manage households while men search for grazing land. This shift places new responsibilities on women, including roles traditionally held by men.

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Such shifting social norms, if managed carefully, can provide opportunities for women's economic empowerment and greater participation in decision-making, conflict prevention, and peacebuilding. However, ignoring these dynamics can create new risks and vulnerabilities for both women and men who are on the front lines of climate change.

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?Urgency of Gender-Responsive Action

Researchers and practitioners working in fragile contexts emphasize the need to understand and address how gender norms, expectations, and power structures influence the experiences and responses of men and women to climate-related security risks. The UN Secretary-General's 2019 Annual Report on Women, Peace, and Security highlights the disproportionate impact of climate change and environmental degradation on women and girls, calling for urgent gender-responsive actions to address the linkages between climate change and conflict.

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The GCS Policy Report provides a comprehensive framework for understanding the links between gender, climate, and security, featuring case studies that offer practical examples of empirical research, analytical approaches, and program interventions. These insights are critical for guiding policy-making, investments, program design, and research, aiming to catalyze gender-responsive action on climate and security, ultimately contributing to inclusive and sustainable peace.

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Recommendations for Future Research and Funding

Given the complex and interrelated nature of gender, climate change, and security, it is essential to pursue multidisciplinary research and targeted funding to address these issues comprehensively. Below are some key recommendations:

1. Expanding Knowledge: Establish a multidisciplinary research network on gender, climate, and security. Partner with researchers from the global South and local stakeholders to ensure a comprehensive understanding of the issues. Create a data repository on gender dimensions of climate security risks to inform policies and programs.

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2. Integrating Gender Perspectives in Policy: Incorporate gender perspectives into climate security discussions at multilateral levels to highlight vulnerabilities and opportunities for women's leadership. Integrate climate-related risks into Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) policies, adding relevant indicators for monitoring progress.

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3. Supporting Gender-Responsive Funding: Invest in sustainable natural resources and climate-related interventions to enhance women's roles in peacebuilding. Ensure climate-related projects funded by peace and security funds target women and marginalized groups. Allocate more funds to support women's resilience to climate security risks through sustainable practices.

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4. Designing Integrated Programs: Document and disseminate best practices for addressing gender-differentiated climate security impacts. Build capacity to address gender dimensions in climate security risks within peacebuilding programs. Develop a multidimensional indicator framework for monitoring progress in gender equality, climate adaptation, and peacebuilding.

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5. Empowering Local Communities: Build women's capacity for dialogue and natural resource dispute resolution. Invest in climate-resilient livelihoods for women's post-conflict economic recovery. Protect women from sexual and gender-based violence through sustainable resource management and advocate for women's land tenure rights.

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?Conclusion

Addressing the gender dimensions of climate-related security risks is vital for achieving sustainable peace and security. Integrated policies and programs that incorporate gender perspectives can mitigate risks, enhance resilience, and promote inclusive development and peace. By implementing these measures, stakeholders can effectively address the interconnected challenges of gender, climate change, and security, promoting more inclusive and sustainable peacebuilding efforts.

It is important for researchers, policymakers, funders, advocacy groups, and philanthropic organizations to collaborate and drive forward a gender-responsive agenda. Together, we can build a more resilient and equitable world, where the unique contributions and experiences of all individuals are recognized and harnessed to address the pressing challenges of our time.