Gender Mandates in Climate Policy

Before you start

In the last few years, the UNFCCC – the only one out of three Rio Conventions that lacked mandates on women’s rights and gender equality from the outset – has made major strides in integrating gender across all thematic areas in the negotiations. In 2014, the Lima Work Programme on Gender launched, and in 2015, the Paris Agreement integrated gender equality as a preambular principle for all climate action, as well as in relation to adaptation and capacity building. In 2017, the first Gender Action Plan was adopted, followed in 2019 by the adoption of the enhanced Lima Work Programme on Gender and its Gender Action Plan. Additional decisions have aimed to enhance gender equality via both policy and practice, encouraging gender balance indecision-making as well as responsiveness to gender issues in the development, implementation and monitoring of climate change policies and actions.

Displaying 41 - 43 of 43
Decision -/CP.30 & Decision -/CMA.7

Report of the Fund for responding to Loss and Damage and guidance to the Fund for responding to Loss and Damage

Theme
Finance
Tags 
GM
Event 
COP30 & CMA7
Year 
2025
Gender references Elaborated language Download PDF

Gender reference

(This gender language is identical across the Decision -/CP.30 and Decision -/CMA.7 texts, which are two separate decisions.)

7. Also welcomes the adoption by the Board of its workplan for 20262 and looks forward to the outcomes of the activities under the workplan, including:

(e) Considering the draft policy on the participation of active observers in Board meetings and related proceedings and the proposal for guidelines on consultative forums for engaging and communicating with stakeholders, including consideration of women, youth and Indigenous Peoples in line with the Governing Instrument of the Fund;

Elaborated language

(This gender language is identical across the Decision -/CP.30 and Decision -/CMA.7 texts, which are two separate decisions.)

The Conference of the Parties,

Recalling decisions 2/CP.27 and 2/CMA.4; 1/CP.28 and 5/CMA.5; 5/CP.29 and 11/CMA.6; and 6/CP.29 and 12/CMA.6,

1. Takes note of the annual report of the Board of the Fund for responding to Loss and Damage for 2025, and the information therein;

2. Welcomes the rapid progress of the Board in operationalizing the Fund, in particular the establishment of the Barbados Implementation Modalities, consisting of a first set of interventions in grants for the calendar years 2025 and 2026 supporting bottom-up, countryled and country-owned approaches to supporting and strengthening national responses to loss and damage, including decisions taken with respect to funding criteria and direct access modalities under the Barbados Implementation Modalities, and expresses support for the further operationalization of the Fund;

3. Welcomes the launch of the call for funding requests for the Barbados Implementation Modalities;

4. Expresses appreciation to the secretariat of the Fund for responding to Loss and Damage for supporting the operationalization of the Fund, as well as to the secretariats of the UNFCCC and the Green Climate Fund and the United Nations Development Programme for jointly forming the interim secretariat for the Fund and providing support to the Board during the transition period until the establishment of the independent secretariat, which was completed at the 7th meeting of the Board; 

5. Also expresses appreciation to the Government of Barbados for hosting the 5th meeting of the Board, and to the Government of the Philippines for hosting the 6th and 7th meetings thereof in its capacity as host country of the Board;

6. Welcomes the financial pledges made to the Fund by the Governments of Iceland, Japan, Latvia, Luxembourg, Spain, and the government of the Walloon Region of Belgium, which, together with the other pledges mentioned in table 1 of annex II in the annex to document FCCC/CP/2025/10/Add.1–FCCC/PA/CMA/2025/14/Add.1, amount to the equivalent of USD 817.01 million;

7. Also welcomes the adoption by the Board of its workplan for 2026 and looks forward to the outcomes of the activities under the workplan, including:

(a) Delivering the Barbados Implementation Modalities, including through the development of a risk management framework;

(b) Developing the long-term operating model of the Fund, including consideration of rapid disbursement modalities and a small grants policy, and work on access modalities, to be informed by the Barbados Implementation Modalities;

(c) Developing a long-term resource mobilization strategy and plan;

(d) Continuing efforts to strengthen coherence and complementarity with existing arrangements for responding to loss and damage, including through close collaboration with the Santiago network for averting, minimizing and addressing loss and damage associated with the adverse effects of climate change;

(e) Considering the draft policy on the participation of active observers in Board meetings and related proceedings and the proposal for guidelines on consultative forums for engaging and communicating with stakeholders, including consideration of women, youth and Indigenous Peoples in line with the Governing Instrument of the Fund;

(f) All other activities included in the workplan; 

8. Welcomes the various access modalities established under the Barbados Implementation Modalities and notes with appreciation the Board’s reiteration that national Governments of all developing countries may submit funding requests using the modality of direct access via direct budget support through national Governments under the Barbados Implementation Modalities, subject to processes and modalities to be decided by the Board;

9. Notes with concern the delay in the adoption of the long-term fundraising and resource mobilization strategy and plan and requests the Board to expedite its consideration of the strategy and plan in line with paragraph 16 of decisions 5/CP.29 and 11/CMA.6;

10. Appreciates the confirmation by the Board of the importance of multilingualism and its request to the secretariat of the Fund to translate the final version of the funding request template, subject to budget availability;

11. Looks forward to the Board including, in its subsequent workplan, work on outstanding matters under the Governing Instrument of the Fund, including any outstanding policies;

12. Welcomes the decision by the Board6 that the first replenishment process of the Fund will start in 2027 and looks forward to a successful first replenishment;

13. Reiterates paragraph 10 of decisions 5/CP.29 and 11/CMA.6, noting its importance for further allocation of resources for future work, including the Barbados Implementation Modalities; 

14. Urges the Board to ensure that the modalities and processes under the Barbados Implementation Modalities and the long-term operating model of the Fund will avoid disproportionate bureaucratic obstacles to the access of resources;

15. Also urges the Board to maintain high fiduciary standards, environmental and social safeguards, financial transparency standards and accountability mechanisms while implementing the Barbados Implementation Modalities and the long-term operating model;

16. Invites Parties to submit views and recommendations on elements of guidance for the Fund via the submission portal7 no later than 12 weeks prior to the thirty-first session of the Conference of the Parties (November 2026);

17. Requests the Standing Committee on Finance to take into consideration the submissions referred to in paragraph 16 above when preparing its draft guidance for the Fund for consideration by the Conference of the Parties at its thirty-first session;

18. Also requests the Board to include in its annual report to the Conference of the Parties information on the steps it has taken to implement the guidance provided in this decision.

Decision -/CP.30

Report of the Global Environment Facility to the Conference of the Parties and guidance to the Global Environment Facility

Theme
Finance
Tags 
GE
GM
Event 
COP30
Year 
2025
Gender references Elaborated language Download PDF

Gender reference

20. Also invites the Global Environment Facility to ensure the effective and meaningful integration of gender considerations into all programmes funded by the Global Environment Facility and encourages the Global Environment Facility, under its Gender Partnership, to continue its efforts to deliver strong results for gender equality;

Elaborated language

The Conference of the Parties

1. Notes the report of the Global Environment Facility to the Conference of the Parties at its thirtieth session,1 including the responses of the Global Environment Facility to previous guidance provided by the Conference of the Parties;

2. Welcomes the achievement by the Global Environment Facility of its climate change target exceeding 1.85 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide emission reductions under the eighth replenishment of the Global Environment Facility by June 2025, as reported at the 69th meeting of its Council;

3. Also welcomes the policy adjustments and streamlining of policy requirements proposed by the Global Environment Facility aimed at increasing the accessibility of its funding;

4. Further welcomes recent developments related to the simplification of processes and programmes of the Global Environment Facility, as well as the ongoing efforts of the Facility in enhancing its strategic collaboration with the Green Climate Fund, the Adaptation Fund and the Climate Investment Funds aimed at enhancing coherence and complementarity of work and the timely access of developing countries to resources;

5. Welcomes the ongoing reform concerning expansion to three additional implementing agencies for the Global Environment Facility and encourages the expansion of the cohort of implementing agencies of the Global Environment Facility in developing countries in all regions, with a focus on underserved regions, with a view to enhancing access to resources of the Facility in those regions;

6. Underscores the importance of the modalities and procedures of the Global Environment Facility and its implementing agencies for enabling activities being flexible and adaptable to the national contexts of developing country Parties in order to prevent funding gaps between reporting cycles, ensure timely approval of projects and ensure continuity of staff in national technical teams;

7. Expresses concern regarding the possible decrease in the financial resources to be allocated to the climate focal area under the ninth replenishment of the Global Environment Facility and emphasizes that the ninth replenishment should continue to channel financial resources for climate action in developing countries;

8. Encourages ambitious pledges to the ninth replenishment of the Global Environment Facility;

9. Also encourages the Global Environment Facility to ensure that programming for the climate change focal area under its ninth replenishment remains country-driven and takes into account, as appropriate, nationally determined priorities;

10. Notes with concern the absence of a pledging session for the Least Developed Countries Fund and the Special Climate Change Fund at this session of the Conference of the Parties;

11. Encourages scaled-up contributions to the Least Developed Countries Fund and Special Climate Change Fund;

12. Requests the Global Environment Facility, in administering the Least Developed Countries Fund, to continue facilitating the smooth transition of developing countries graduating from least developed country status by continuing to provide approved funding through the Fund until the completion of projects approved by the Least Developed Countries Fund Council prior to those countries’ graduation from least developed country status and also requests the Global Environment Facility to consider developing further measures to help ensure this smooth transition for recently graduated least developed countries;

13. Invites the Global Environment Facility to continue its efforts to enhance coherence and complementarity with other climate funds and ensure that those efforts do not result in restricted access to resources by developing countries or reduced availability of finance for them;

14. Also invites the Global Environment Facility to ensure full implementation of the streamlining measures approved by the Council of the Global Environmental Facility at its 69th meeting2 and to report in its next annual report to the Conference of the Parties on the reduction in the time taken between project identification and endorsement by the Chief Executive Offer of the Global Environment Facility;

15. Requests the Global Environment Facility to further simplify and operationalize the preparation, review and approval processes with a view to enhancing predictability of, reducing delays in and providing more responsive support to developing country Parties, including, as appropriate, through a simplified grant application procedure;

16. Encourages the Global Environment Facility, in its consideration of partnerships, to build national and local capacity with a view to ensuring that projects are not only designed locally but also implemented and managed locally, thereby enhancing their effectiveness and country-ownership;

17. Invites the participants in the development of the Global Environment Facility Programming Strategy on Adaptation to Climate Change for the Least Developed Countries Fund and Special Climate Change Fund and Operational Improvements: July 2026 to June 20303 for the ninth replenishment of the Global Environment Facility to consider the Program-based Implementation Approach proposed as part thereof, targeted at achieving a set maximum of entities accredited to the Green Climate Fund and the Adaptation Fund across developing countries;

18. Encourages the Global Environment Facility to continue providing support for technology deployment and innovation in line with its mandate and countries’ technology needs assessments;

19. Invites the Global Environment Facility to ensure safeguards for the rights of Indigenous Peoples and to consider Indigenous Peoples’ perspectives and diverse knowledge systems in its decision-making, in line with the Principles and Guidelines for Engagement with Indigenous Peoples;

20. Also invites the Global Environment Facility to ensure the effective and meaningful integration of gender considerations into all programmes funded by the Global Environment Facility and encourages the Global Environment Facility, under its Gender Partnership, to continue its efforts to deliver strong results for gender equality;

21. Invites Parties to submit views and recommendations on elements of guidance for the Global Environment Facility via the submission portal5 no later than 12 weeks prior to the thirty-first session of the Conference of the Parties (November 2026);

22. Requests the Standing Committee on Finance to take into consideration the submissions referred to in paragraph 21 above in preparing its draft guidance for the Global Environment Facility for consideration by the Conference of the Parties at its thirty-first session and the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Paris Agreement at its eighth session (November 2026);

23. Also requests the Global Environment Facility to include in its annual report to the Conference of the Parties information on the steps it has taken to implement the guidance provided in this decision;

24. Takes note of decision -/CMA.7 6 and decides to transmit to the Global Environment Facility the guidance from the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Paris Agreement contained in paragraphs 2–8 of that decision.

Decision -/CP.30

Report of the Green Climate Fund to the Conference of the Parties and guidance to the Green Climate Fund

Theme
Finance
Tags 
GM
RR
Event 
COP30
Year 
2025
Gender references Elaborated language Download PDF

Gender reference

16. Urges the Board to adopt an updated gender action plan for the second replenishment of the Fund, noting the previous plan for 2020–2023, and to actively contribute to the implementation of activities under the Belém gender action plan for 2026–2034 adopted by decision -/CP.30; 

Elaborated language

The Conference of the Parties,

Recalling decision 3/CP.17, annex,

1. Notes the report of the Green Climate Fund to the Conference of the Parties at its thirtieth session, including the information therein on action taken by the Board of the Fund in response to guidance received from the Conference of the Parties, while noting that there is room for improvement;

2. Welcomes:

(a) The increase in the number of funding proposals approved, which brings the total amount approved by the Board to USD 19.3 billion to support the implementation of 336 adaptation and mitigation projects and programmes in 134 developing countries;

(b) The increase in the number of entities accredited by the Board, which brings the total number of accredited entities to 158, of which 106 are direct access entities;

(c) The increase in the approval of grants for readiness support for national adaptation plans and other adaptation planning processes, bringing the total number of grants approved for readiness support for national adaptation plans and other adaptation planning processes to 144;

(d) The number of approved projects focused on technology, representing 83 per cent of the project portfolio (261 projects in total), and that the Fund continues to progress in advancing efforts related to technology incubation and acceleration and in providing readiness support for technology and technology needs assessments; (e) The approval by the Board of the Fund’s revised accreditation framework, emphasizing that its implementation should enhance access to the Fund’s resources and improve the speed, predictability, efficiency, flexibility and transparency of processes;

3. Urges the Board to ensure that implementation of the revised accreditation framework continues to contribute to achieving the Strategic Plan for the Green Climate Fund 2024–2027 goal of doubling the number of direct access entities with approved funding proposals, and to further enhance the efficient and timely delivery of resources by simplifying access modalities so as to reduce procedural burdens and ensure more timely, effective and balanced access to resources for developing country Parties, including by exploring ways to enhance the efficiency of Board meetings in line with the Governing Instrument for the Fund and the rules of procedure of the Board therein;

4. Encourages the Board to continue to promote the use of direct access modalities, including by enhancing efforts to support capacity-building for direct access entities and improving non-governmental direct access, including for Indigenous Peoples, in accordance with relevant policies; 5. Also encourages the Fund to continue to strengthen its partnerships with the private sector, including with small and medium-sized enterprises, in a manner that complements public finance and supports the implementation of country-driven priorities;

6. Further encourages the Board to consider measures to improve and strengthen its work with the Adaptation Fund and the Global Environment Facility on their fast-track accreditation programme, including through the potential mutual acceptance of their respective accreditation systems, as appropriate, subject to the limitations of their accreditation and the relevant decisions of the Adaptation Fund Board and the Council of the Global Environment Facility, with a view to dramatically simplifying access to funding under the Green Climate Fund;

7. Recommends that the Board encourage the submission of funding proposals from direct access entities, without limiting the number that each entity may submit at a meeting of the Board or limiting the number of projects that the Board may approve for each entity at each of its meetings, notwithstanding considerations on Board capacity;

8. Invites the Board to consider areas for improvement in the project approval cycle, including on the basis of lessons learned from the consideration of funding proposals; including on the basis of lessons learned from the consideration of funding proposals;

9. Notes the progress of the Green Climate Fund in reducing project review times to nine months or less and urges the Board to take action to expedite disbursement of funding and enhance implementation efficiency;

10. Encourages the Fund to continue to improve complementarity, coherence and coordination with other multilateral climate funds as envisaged in Strategic Plan for the Fund 2024–2027 in order to strive for greater impact in the delivery of climate finance;

11. Reaffirms that the Fund’s country-driven approach should be upheld in all policies, procedures and operational modalities of the Fund, in line with nationally determined priorities, nationally led programming and the central role of national designated authorities as focal points;

12. Acknowledges the establishment of regional presence of the Fund and looks forward to the operationalization of regional presence in line with Board decisions GCF/B.41/10 and GCF/B.42/14 on the basis of a thorough and fair review process in line with Board procedures;

13. Encourages the Board to continue to promote technology development and transfer in line with the Governing Instrument for and relevant policies of the Fund, including by strengthening synergies between the Fund and the Climate Technology Centre and Network; 

14. Also encourages the Board to thoroughly enhance the review process for the adoption of the policies and guidelines necessary for strengthening the Fund secretariat’s financial management capabilities and available instruments, including through the adoption of a policy on foreign currency hedging and a policy on foreign exchange management and liquidity management;

15. Highlights the need to increase the commitment authority within the Fund and requests the Board to urgently consider ways to enhance the commitment authority of the Fund;

16. Urges the Board to adopt an updated gender action plan for the second replenishment of the Fund, noting the previous plan for 2020–2023, and to actively contribute to the implementation of activities under the Belém gender action plan for 2026–2034 adopted by decision -/CP.30;

17. Invites Parties to submit views and recommendations on elements of guidance for the Fund via the submission portal8 no later than 12 weeks prior to the thirty-first session of the Conference of the Parties (November 2026);

18. Requests the Standing Committee on Finance to take into consideration the submissions referred to in paragraph 17 above in preparing its draft guidance for the Fund for consideration by the Conference of the Parties at its thirty-first session and the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Paris Agreement at its eighth session (November 2026);

19. Also requests the Board to include in its annual report to the Conference of the Parties information on the steps it has taken to implement the guidance provided in this decision;

20. Takes note of decision -/CMA.7 9 and decides to transmit to the Fund the guidance from the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Paris Agreement contained in paragraphs 2–4 of that decision.

Pages

Gender Climate Tracker App for iOS & Android

Download the GCT App for your mobile device for the offline access to our data.

App Store   Google Play

Become a Gender Climate Tracker!

Share your relevant documents on the country profiles and help us improve the platform.

Join GCT