The Conference of the Parties,
Recalling decisions 36/CP.7, 1/CP.16, 23/CP.18, 18/CP.20 and 1/CP.21 and the Paris Agreement,
Underscoring the importance of coherence between gender-responsive climate policies and the balanced participation of women and men in the Convention process and the provisions of international instruments and outcomes such as the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development,
Noting that, notwithstanding the progress made by Parties in implementing the decisions referred to above, there is a need for women to be represented in all aspects of the Convention process, including through membership of their national delegations and the chairing and facilitation of formal and informal negotiating groups,
Acknowledging with appreciation the important role of the two-year Lima work programme on gender in the incorporation of a gender perspective in the work of the Parties and the secretariat in implementing the Convention,
Noting with appreciation the contributions received in support of the work undertaken so far,
Also noting that gender-responsive climate policy still requires further strengthening in all activities concerning adaptation, mitigation and related means of implementation (finance, technology development and transfer and capacity-building) as well as decisionmaking on the implementation of climate policies,
1. Welcomes the report by the secretariat on the in-session workshop on gender-responsive climate policy with a focus on adaptation, capacity-building and training for delegates on gender issues, which was held during the forty-fourth sessions of the subsidiary bodies;
2. Notes with appreciation the submissions from Parties and observers as input for the workshop referred to in paragraph 1 above;
3. Takes note of the report by the secretariat on the gender composition of constituted bodies established under the Convention and its Kyoto Protocol, and the urgent need to improve the representation of women in all of the bodies established under the Convention, the Kyoto Protocol and the Paris Agreement;
4. Urges Parties to enhance their efforts in advancing the implementation of decisions 36/CP.7, 1/CP.16, 23/CP.18 and 18/CP.20;
5. Takes note of the submissions from Parties and observers on possible elements and guiding principles for continuing and enhancing the Lima work programme on gender, including information from Parties on progress made towards achieving the goals of gender balance and gender-responsive climate policy in response to the invitation contained in decision 18/CP.20, paragraph 1;
6. Decides to continue and enhance the Lima work programme on gender for a period of three years as set out in paragraphs 7–30 below and to undertake, at the twenty-fifth session of the Conference of the Parties (November 2019), a review of the work programme;
7. Invites Parties to continue to assist:
(a) Training and awareness-raising for female and male delegates on issues related to gender balance and climate change;
(b) Building the skills and capacity of their female delegates to participate effectively in UNFCCC meetings through training on, inter alia, negotiation skills, the drafting of legal documents and strategic communication;
8. Also invites Parties and relevant organizations to continue to assist the activities referred to in paragraph 7 above, with a special focus on training and capacity-building for delegates from Parties that are particularly vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change;
9. Requests the secretariat to continue to support the organization of the training and capacity-building efforts referred to in paragraphs 7 and 8 above, inter alia, in conjunction with sessions of the subsidiary bodies;
10. Invites Parties to increase the representation and active participation of women in the bodies established under the Convention;
11. Decides that annual in-session workshops will be held in conjunction with the sessions of the subsidiary bodies in the first sessional period of 2018 and 2019;
12. Requests the Subsidiary Body for Implementation to elaborate the topics for the workshops referred to in paragraph 11 above during 2017 and to report on the topics that it recommends for the workshops to the Conference of the Parties at its twenty-third session (November 2017);
13. Also requests the secretariat to prepare a technical paper identifying entry points for integrating gender considerations in workstreams under the UNFCCC process for consideration by the Subsidiary Body for Implementation at its forty-eighth session (April– May 2018);
14. Further requests all constituted bodies under the UNFCCC process to include in their regular reports information on progress made towards integrating a gender perspective in their processes according to the entry points identified in the technical paper referred to in paragraph 13 above;
15. Requests the secretariat to prepare biennial synthesis reports on the information contained in the reports referred to in paragraph 14 above for consideration by the Conference of the Parties, with the first biennial synthesis report to be prepared for the consideration of the Conference of the Parties at its twenty-fifth session (November 2019);
16. Encourages Parties and the secretariat to take into consideration a gender perspective in the organization of the technical expert meetings on mitigation and adaptation, in accordance with decision 1/CP.21, paragraphs 111 and 129;
17. Invites Parties to mainstream a gender perspective in the enhancement of climate technology development and transfer;
18. Requests the secretariat, if updating the accreditation process for the Parties, to improve, as appropriate, the accuracy of data on the gender of the participants as a means of providing accurate data to assess progress made on the participation of women delegates in UNFCCC meetings and those of constituted bodies;
19. Also requests the secretariat to continue to prepare an annual report on gender composition in accordance with decisions 23/CP.18 and 18/CP.20;
20. Further requests the secretariat to undertake research and analysis on challenges to the full and equal participation of women in climate-related processes and activities and to prepare a technical paper on achieving the goal of gender balance as mandated by decisions 36/CP.7, 1/CP.16 and 23/CP.18, based on submissions and its own research for consideration by the Conference of the Parties at its twenty-third session;
21. Requests the Financial Mechanism and its operating entities to include in their respective annual reports to the Conference of the Parties information on the integration of gender considerations in all aspects of their work;
22. Invites Parties to appoint and provide support for a national gender focal point for climate negotiations, implementation and monitoring;
23. Encourages Parties, when reporting on their climate policies under the UNFCCC process, to include information on how they are integrating gender considerations into such policies;
24. Also encourages Parties to integrate local and traditional knowledge in the formulation of climate policy and to recognize the value of the participation of grassroots women in gender-responsive climate action at all levels;
25. Requests the secretariat to maintain and regularly update its web pages for sharing information on women’s participation and on gender-responsive climate policy;
26. Invites Parties and non-Party stakeholders to share information on their work related to integrating a gender perspective in the activities and work under the Convention, the Kyoto Protocol and the Paris Agreement;
27. Requests the Subsidiary Body for Implementation to develop a gender action plan in order to support the implementation of gender-related decisions and mandates under the UNFCCC process, which may include priority areas, key activities and indicators, timelines for implementation, the responsible and key actors and indicative resource requirements for each activity, and further elaborate its process of review and monitoring;
28. Invites Parties, members of constituted bodies, United Nations organizations, observers and other stakeholders to consult through meetings, prior to the forty-sixth sessions of the subsidiary bodies (May 2017), in order to provide inputs to the formulation of the gender action plan referred to in paragraph 27 above;
29. Requests the secretariat to convene, in cooperation with Parties and interested observers and other stakeholders, an in-session workshop during the forty-sixth sessions of the subsidiary bodies to develop possible elements of the gender action plan referred to in paragraph 27 above for consideration by the Subsidiary Body for Implementation at its forty-seventh session (November 2017);
30. Invites submissions from Parties, observers and other stakeholders, by 25 January 2017, on their views on the matters to be addressed at the in-session workshop referred to in paragraph 29 above;
31. Takes note of the estimated budgetary implications of the activities to be undertaken by the secretariat referred to in this decision;
32. Requests that the actions of the secretariat called for in this decision be undertaken subject to the availability of financial resources;
33. Invites Parties and relevant organizations to participate and engage in implementing gender-related activities within the work programme.
