COP 28: Ministers forge a ground-breaking pact, addressing gender inequalities in climate action, safeguarding jobs, and empowering women in the transition to a sustainable economy
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 deal by the COP28 Presidency: a COP28 Gender-Responsive Just Transitions and Climate Action Partnership, which over 60 parties endorsed.
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 Labour Organisation (ILO), 1.2 billion jobs, representing 40 percent of the global labour force, are at risk due to global warming and environmental degradation. Women are expected to be most severely affected due to their high representation in sectors particularly susceptible to climate change.
Transitioning to a low-carbon and sustainable economy will eliminate and transform some jobs and create new roles. Therefore, ministers and high-level officials have agreed on a series of commitments to support women's economic empowerment and ensure women's livelihoods are protected during this transition.
Climate change disproportionately impacts women and girls and is not gender-neutral. 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 objective of the new partnership is to build on the objectives that the UNFCCC Gender Action Plan outlined. This plan sets out activities under five key priority areas to advance understanding of gender-responsive climate action.
In particular, the new COP28 Gender-Responsive Just Transitions and Climate Action Partnership centres 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.