By adopting the UN’s Enhanced Lima Work Programme on Gender and its Gender Action Plan in 2019, the Nordic countries committed to advancing and promoting gender-responsive climate policy and action and gender mainstreaming the implementation of the Paris Agreement. These objectives are outlined in Gender Action Plan under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change’s Gender Action Plan (UNFCCC GAP). Since, the adaptation of the UNFCCC GAP, the Nordic countries have made significant strides in promoting gender equality in relation to green transition, namely in 2022 at the 66th session of the Commission on the Status of Women. The Nordic Council of Ministers then formulated commitments to promote feminist action for climate justice, including ensuring inclusive green jobs, gender mainstreaming in climate policy in a structured way e.g. by utilising sex-disaggregated data in relation to climate action, conducting gender analyses and implementing gender budgeting for climate policy design- and measures. Despite this, and while the Nordic countries are pioneering within both gender equality and climate action, this review finds significant differences in the implementation of the UNFCCC GAP across Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden.
In relation to Priority area A of the UNFCCC GAP, focusing on capacity building, knowledge management, and communication, the review shows that there are limited resources and training targeting knowledge- and capacity building in terms of gender mainstreaming in climate policies. While training and tools on gender mainstreaming in general are available to policymakers in all countries to a varying degree, only Iceland has examples of gender mainstreaming resources and training relating directly to climate policies- and action. In terms of knowledge, the review shows that although some stakeholders argue that data on the gendered impacts of climate policies and climate change is missing, the actual issue is the lack of prioritisation and utilisation of existing sex-disaggregated data. In continuation of this, the review observes limited knowledge and an under-prioritisation of gender mainstreaming in domestic climate policies, especially in Denmark and Norway. Notably, Norway’s Ministry of Climate and Environment acknowledges the need for enhanced insights into how gender equality is relevant to domestic climate policy. On a cross-Nordic level, the Nordic Council of Ministers has facilitated a range of events, talks, publications, and, recently, an online knowledge hub, disseminating knowledge about the interlinkages between gender equality and green transition, including estimated gendered impacts of climate policies in a Nordic context.
In Priority area B, focusing on gender balance, participation, and women’s leadership, the review shows that in terms of equal representation, all five countries have reached formal gender equality within the ratio of 40:60 in international delegations, highlighting the Nordic countries' adoption of proactive measures as policies or gender quotas, with Norway pioneering with gender quota legislation and Iceland, and recently also Denmark, following its example. Furthermore, in the Nordic countries measures to involve Indigenous Peoples, the Sámi, in climate policymaking have been taken, especially in Finland, which has appointed a Sámi Climate Change Council. All Nordic countries are actively addressing the gender imbalance in the STEM field; however, challenges remain, with women holding less than one-third of the green jobs in the Nordic countries on average. Another aspect of the challenge with equal representation is the current technological framing of climate policies- and action, neglecting essential non-STEM perspectives, e.g. on the social sector and unpaid domestic work. This points to the need for broader engagement and inclusion in climate policy work, acknowledging and involving contributions beyond the STEM fields.
In terms of ensuring coherence, legislative framework, and institutional mechanisms as part of Priority area C, all five countries have legislative frameworks and policies promoting and enhancing gender equality through gender mainstreaming. However, the review shows significant national differences in terms of institutional mechanisms ensuring collaboration and support across ministries, departments, and other relevant public authorities in relation to gender mainstreaming of climate policies. While all countries have at least one central entity coordinating and supporting gender equality efforts, Finland, Iceland, and Sweden demonstrate strong coherence in their gender mainstreaming efforts, having established collaborative measures across ministries and institutions, such as inter-departmental working groups, and coordinators and/or experts with responsibilities of supporting gender mainstreaming within the respective ministry or agency. Aside from such coordinating measures supporting gender mainstreaming, legislative framework mandating for instance gender budgeting (IS) or gender relevance testing of all proposed bills to decide if a gender impact assessment should be conducted (DK), furthermore facilitate gender mainstreaming and by that aids the implementation of the UNFCCC GAP. Furthermore, aligning with the UNFCCC GAP, all the Nordic countries have implemented the role of the UNFCCC National Gender and Climate Change Focal Point, which is placed in the respective ministries or governmental agencies promoting, supporting, or coordinating environment- and/or climate policies domestically or internationally. Nonetheless, the review identifies an overall need to allocate resources, financially and human, for tasks dedicated to driving the implementation of the UNFCCC GAP. A notable gap in the Nordic implementation of the UNFCCC GAP is also the general absence of dedicated national strategies or plans for implementing the specific activities of the GAP priority areas. As the only country, Sweden has translated the UNFCCC GAP into a Swedish context and formulated a draft strategy for gender mainstreaming the implementation of the Paris Agreement. Finland has however highlighted climate change as one priority area in the Government’s Gender Action Plan, and the Icelandic government similarly addressed gender mainstreaming in climate policy explicitly in its Proposal for Parliament Resolution on the recent Gender Equality Action Programme for the period of 2020-2023.
Priority Area D focuses on the gender-responsive implementation of climate policies, and means of implementation such as GIAs, gender budgeting- and analyses, and involvement of experts. Sweden, Iceland, and Finland demonstrate relatively proactive approaches in terms of involving gender experts in climate policymaking, with systematic efforts to facilitate collaboration between inter-governmental gender equality departments and climate-relevant ministries, alongside consulting non-governmental gender experts. The climate-relevant ministries of Finland, Iceland, and Sweden have involved gender experts in processes of policy making, e.g. through open consultations, round tables, collaborations, and lectures, respectively. For instance, the Icelandic government has strong collaboration with academia in integrating gender equality in climate policy, and Finland exemplifies proactive and diverse stakeholder consultation in climate policy. However, across the Nordic region proactive engagement of relevant experts could be improved to ensure inclusiveness and effectiveness of gender mainstreaming in climate policies.
Gender-responsive strategies in climate policy varies significantly among Nordic countries, reflecting a spectrum of commitment and implementation levels. In Denmark only one out of 63 legislative bills proposed by the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Utilities being considered relevant to gender equality, and therefore subject to a gender impact assessment. Denmark’s national Climate Action Plan (2020) has undergone a relevance testing to evaluate the need for a gender impact assessment, but this was considered irrelevant. The plan focuses on social balance without integrating gender aspects, and thus come across as gender blind. However, Denmark’s Long-term Low-emission Strategy (2020), submitted to the UNFCCC, takes a more gender-responsive stance by linking climate adaptation to gender equality. Finland demonstrates a stronger commitment to the strategy of gender mainstreaming, with gender budgeting across ministries, gender impact assessments of both its Climate Action Plan (2017) and Climate and Energy Strategy (2021). By that Finland leaves the impression of prioritising gender-responsiveness in climate policies. However, Finland’s Long-term Low-emission Strategy (2020) lacks a specific focus on gender. Iceland mandates gender budgeting across the government offices and has conducted gender impact assessments in 2017 and 2022 on its previous and current Climate Action Plans (2014 and 2020) as well as other climate policies. Like Finland, Iceland’s Long-term Low-emission Strategy (2021), however lacks specific expressions of gender aspects, though referring to the planned impact assessment of the national climate action plan. All the Nordic countries except Norway mentions gender equality to various extents in their recent Biennial Reports (UNFCCC submissions). Norway demonstrates a more limited approach in gender mainstreaming in climate policies, with no concrete examples of gender impact assessments and lacking or limited gender responsiveness, in especially domestic climate policies. Norway does, however, refer to SDG5 in its Climate Action Plan and a white paper on energy, focusing on the transition of the Norwegian oil workforce. Sweden stands out for its explicit commitment to integrating gender equality into climate policy and action, with its draft strategy on gender mainstreaming of climate policy (2021) supplementing the Climate Action Plan from 2019. A gender analysis was conducted in the preparation of the recent Climate Action Plan (2023) and the Long-term Low-emission strategy (2020) is reviewed as gender-responsive. Sweden's Integrated Energy and Climate Plan (2020) is gender-responsive and dedicates a section to gender mainstreaming. However, the document has been subject of academic research and is critiqued for portraying women in a somewhat vulnerable and traditional role without addressing power imbalances or proposing corrective measures. This critique highlights a need for more transformative policies that challenge gender norms and structures, while at the same time reflecting gender mainstreaming as a norm in Sweden, as it is not the relevance or importance of gender mainstreaming in climate policy which is discussed, but the level and quality of results, i.e. how gender-responsiveness it is, which is being evaluated and critiqued.
Assessing Priority area E, on mechanisms for monitoring and reporting on gender mainstreaming within climate-related initiatives, shows national processes for monitoring gender mainstreaming in general, but not for the UNFCCC GAP particularly. However, as part of the UNFCCC reporting mechanism, the Parties must report on the implementation of the UNFCCC GAP in spring 2024. The review recommends enhancing effective mechanisms of monitoring and reporting on the systematic gender mainstreaming in the national implementation of the Paris Agreement.
The current review reveals important strides made in the implementation of the UNFCCC GAP. Especially Finland, Iceland, and Sweden demonstrate structured and comprehensive approaches to gender mainstreaming in both domestic and international climate policy, reflecting a more advanced stage of UNFCCC GAP implementation. These countries' practices offer valuable insights and models for reaching gender-responsive climate policy. The review, however, also identifies remaining challenges across the Nordic region. In Denmark and Norway, the reviewers observe space for improvement in gender mainstreaming in especially domestic climate policy.
By prioritising capacity building, the utilisation of existing sex-disaggregated data, and enhancing coherence in relevant policy frameworks, the Nordic countries can improve their implementation of the UNFCCC GAP. Promoting gender equality as a fundamental aspect of a just green transition, rather than an auxiliary concern, will further solidify the Nordic countries’ role as pioneers in gender equality, and in reaching the Nordic 2030-vision of being the most sustainable region in the world. Strengthening the efforts to more systematically implementing the UNFCCC GAP will also set a global precedent for integrated and inclusive environmental governance, driving forward the dual goals of gender equality and climate mitigation, adaptation, and resilience, in accordance with both the Paris Agreement, the Sustainable Development Goals and UNFCCC GAP.