The triple planetary crisis of climate change, nature and biodiversity loss, and pollution and waste is not just an environmental crisis, it is also a crisis of inequality. Women and girls are more vulnerable to the impact of environmental changes and other environmental hazards, especially in developing countries. Therefore, gender-inclusive initiatives are critical to addressing these challenges and forging a path of sustainable development and climate resilience.
In Latin America and the Caribbean, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has been working to enhance gender inclusivity in four key projects: the Caribbean Biological Corridor, Nature4Cities, CityAdapt, and Zero Waste in the Caribbean: New ways, new waves.
In addition, UNEP’s Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean established a regional working group to support partners with integrating gender perspectives in projects. In a further boost to women on the frontlines of environmental action, the 23rd Meeting of the Forum of Ministers of Environment of Latin America and the Caribbean adopted a resolution to advance the implementation of gender equality in environmental management in the region.
These efforts are aligned with the sixth session of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-6), which emphasizes the vital role of international cooperation in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, with gender inclusivity at its core and the belief that no one should be left behind.
“Gender equality is crucial to advance the environmental dimension of sustainable development,” said María Elena Zúñiga, Regional Development Coordinator and Gender Focal Point for UNEP in Latin America and the Caribbean. “Sustainable development will only be achieved when everyone has a voice and opportunities to fully contribute to a greener and fairer world.”
Here is a look at the regional initiatives in the Latin America and Caribbean region that work to protect the planet, and promote inclusion and social justice.
Caribbean Biological Corridor: gender mainstreaming is crucial for sustainable development
Supported by UNEP’s Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean, the Caribbean Biological Corridor (CBC) is an initiative to protect biodiversity in areas of regional significance to Cuba, Haiti, the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico. Recognizing the important role women play in protecting nature, CBC has worked to incorporate a gender-sensitive perspectives in its objectives and activities. As a result of its commitment to collect gender-disaggregated data and promote female participation in its programmes, CBC has achieved gender-well-mainstreamed status for its ecosystem-based adaptation and forest restoration project.
Nature4Cities: Integrating gender perspectives in urban climate action
Nature4Cities supports national and local governments throughout Latin America and the Caribbean to accelerate climate action in cities by integrating nature-based solutions. The initiative has been driving gender-responsive approaches to urban planning to address the unique challenge women face in cities, including limited mobility and access to resources. Nature4Cities has held webinars for women in Ecuador, Cuba and the Dominican Republic on urban adaptation using nature-based solutions. As a result, integrating gender perspectives into urban planning has become a cornerstone of the project’s work spanning 13 cities across 7 countries.
CityAdapt: Empowering women and enhancing climate resilience
CityAdapt works to bolsters climate resilience by developing strategies that harness nature-based solutions and ecosystem services in three cities – Xalapa in Mexico, San Salvador in El Salvador, and Kingston in Jamaica. Women often have fewer resources and less decision-making power than men due to gender inequality, but their knowledge and skills can make them agents of change. To address the gender gap, CityAdapt has worked with women to identify nature-based solutions that are transforming their lives, and leading to greater economic empowerment. Capacity building activities have resulted in women-led cacao production in San Salvador and beekeeping activities in Kingston, along with the creation of rainwater harvesting systems in all three cities. CityAdapt has also supported women-led organizations working in the production and commercialization of edible mushrooms in Xalapa. This gender-inclusive approach has helped to empower women and at the same, increase the effectiveness of climate adaptation action.
Towards zero waste and gender equality: transforming the Caribbean landscape
The project Zero Waste in the Caribbean: New Ways, New Waves aligns solid waste management systems with circular economy principles. UNEP has partnered with UN Women Caribbean to implement awareness and educational activities that integrate gender perspectives and empower women in waste management. This collaborative effort, funded by the European Union in collaboration with CARIFORUM and jointly implemented by UNEP, the International Cooperation GmbH (GIZ), the French Development Agency (AFD), and the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS), brings partners together to advance sustainable development, with a gender dimension underpinning their efforts.
The sixth session of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-6) is being held from 26 February to 1 March 2024 at the UNEP headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya, under the theme: Effective, inclusive and sustainable multilateral actions to tackle climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution. Through its resolutions and calls to action, the Assembly provides leadership and catalyzes intergovernmental action on the environment.
