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Gender in climate negotiations: history, disputes, and the Belém Plan
Between November 10 and 21, during COP30 in Belém, Brazil, a central disagreement over the definition of the term gender stalled negotiations on the new Gender Action Plan(GAP). More conservative countries, such as Iran, Russia, and Argentina, called for a version based on a binary biological gender, classified as male or female, without mention of social roles and structural inequalities between men and women. The term is seen as controversial due to its multiple interpretations, influenced by different traditions, religions, and gender identities, which ends up creating opposing camps that find it difficult to engage in dialogue without conflict. Gender ends up falling into the realm of concepts that many call politically charged.
Shedding light on gender and female empowerment within current NDCs revisions at COP30
During COP21, 195 parties signed the Paris Agreement intending to hold off “the increase in the global average temperature to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels”. To pursue this, they introduced Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), where all parties to the Convention must create climate action plans that include mitigation and adaptation efforts, involve multiple actors and sectors of the economy, and offer unique opportunities to integrate gender. NDCs function as a country’s main mechanism for national climate policies and planning within the country’s own budget, so they must include, shape, and account for those most impacted.
From Dubai to Belém: Gender and Climate at the Triarchy of COP
This week, the 29th Conference of the Parties (COP29) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, first established in 1992, began. What does this mean? Between November 11th and 22nd, 2024, leaders and heads of state from 192 countries will be meeting in Baku, Azerbaijan, to debate global policies and actions against climate change, seeking to achieve the objectives defined in the Paris Agreement in 2015.
To follow COP29 in a productive way, it's always worth remembering the results and presence of EmpoderaClima at the grand COP28.