At COP25 (2019), the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and its Parties adopted the five-year Enhanced Lima Work Programme on Gender (LWPG) along with a Gender Action Plan (GAP). The UNFCCC GAP outlines five priority areas aiming at advancing knowledge and understanding of gender responsive climate action, including activities for gender mainstreaming the implementation of the Paris Agreement. The UNFCCC GAP covers the efforts of participating Parties, the secretariat, various United Nations bodies, and stakeholders at all levels, with the overarching goal of ensuring women's complete, equal, and meaningful involvement in the UNFCCC process.
At the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW66) in 2022, the Nordic Ministers for Gender Equality made a commitment to promote international cooperation, alliance, and advocacy on the interconnections between climate action and gender equality, as well as strengthening gender mainstreaming in climate policies. The Nordic Vision for 2030 is to become the most sustainable and integrated region in the world. For gender equality, an important part of this is a more integrated approach to gender mainstreaming.
Prior to the culmination of the Enhanced LWPG at COP29 in 2024, the implementation of the UNFCCC GAP will be evaluated at the SBI 61 in November 2024. As this evaluation approaches, an opportunity arises for countries to exchange experiences and contribute to a potential new GAP. Thus, the purpose of the review at hand is to assess the current state of gender mainstreaming within Nordic climate policies, as well as gather national practices from Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden in accordance with the priority areas of the UNFCCC GAP. The review also explores gaps and barriers, exemplary cases to enhance knowledge sharing among the Nordic countries, as well as recommendations for furthering the gender mainstreaming of enhancing the implementation of gender-responsive climate action.
This review has been commissioned by the Nordic Working Group for Climate and Air under the Nordic Council of Ministers, with funding from both the Nordic Council of Ministers for the Environment and Climate, and Gender Equality and LGBTI. It has been carried out in the autumn and winter of 2023/2024 by Norion Consult in collaboration with Ekvalita, Ráður, Chalmers University, CICERO and Equality Research Helsinki. The review has been conducted in consultation with a reference group consisting of Nordic public servants, but any recommendations and views are those of the consultant.
It is hoped that the review will inform and inspire policy makers, practitioners, members of the civil society, business and industry, as well as set the stage for sharing experience between the countries.