In 2014, with the goal to better integrate gender equality into adaptation to climate change, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) launched the Lima Work Programme on gender, and last year, on the 23^rd session of the Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC, the so-called CoP23, the Gender Action Plan was adopted.

As a follow up, UNDP Serbia organized a regional workshop, from 14-15th November 2018 in Belgrade, bringing together experts from ministries and institutions working on climate change and gender equality in the Western Balkan countries and Lebanon. The workshop enabled experts to share best practices and learn how to improve national efforts to mainstream gender equality into the development process of National Communications and Biennial Update Reports to the UNFCCC. 

At the workshop the Special Report of Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) was presented on the impacts of global warming of 1.5 °C above pre-industrial levels and related global greenhouse gas emission pathways. In addition, key relevant concepts on gender equality, women’s empowerment and gender mainstreaming were elaborated to non-gender practitioners, in order to make the linkages between Climate change and Gender Equality as cross-cutting and development issues.

The participants prepared a draft Plan for Gender Action into Monitoring, Reporting and Verification of climate-change related data for Western Balkan countries and Lebanon. This draft will serve as a starting point for deeper considerations in each country on how to meaningfully integrate gender considerations into development of climate change related policies.  

More information about the workshop outcomes and follow up actions is available on the Global Support Programme website:  http://www.un-gsp.org/