DESPITE urgent calls for equity, climate finance continues to overlook women and communities most vulnerable to its impacts, instead being diverted to large infrastructure projects and away from gender-responsive adaptation.
Addressing the Sixth Forum of Ministers and Environment Authorities of the Asia Pacific Adaptation Programme in Nadi, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Director, Dr Youssef Nassef, said: “We must also ask ourselves a crucial question: What is the benchmark for success?
“Today, we’ve heard that a very small percentage of climate funding is directed toward gender-responsive adaptation actions. This is concerning.”
Nassef said a recent health conference highlighted a similar issue – only one per cent of climate science funding is allocated to health initiatives.
“This raises a significant question about the direction of climate science and funding if we are not prioritising the most pressing needs. Where are we headed?”
Nassef also emphasised three key narratives about this issue. “Women often manage essential resources such as water, food, and household energy, and they face heightened vulnerabilities to climate change impacts,” he said.
The second narrative involves systemic barriers that hinder women’s ability to mitigate harm.
These barriers include unequal access to resources and restrictions imposed by tenure laws, as well as limited access to credit and finance.
“Although women are pivotal agents of change in addressing climate change, especially at the community level, the supporting environment to enable their leadership is often insufficient,” he said.
He stated these initiatives encourage our expert groups and constitute bodies to integrate gender into their agendas, and we are beginning to see some promising reports on progress.
“There are two immediate actions we can all support. First, we need to significantly increase gender-targeted funding through small grant programs directly benefiting communities,’’ Nassef added.
“Second, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has indicated that we must amplify finance for adaptation efforts by 10 to 15 times over the next four years.
“This may sound ambitious, but ongoing work is exploring innovative financial solutions that extend beyond traditional grants and loans, making this feasible.”
Nassef said it was important at the planning and design phases for adaptation finance to ensure that investments support women-led climate action, particularly in frontline communities facing direct threats from environmental changes and social instability.
Nassef said when women’s knowledge, leadership, and entrepreneurial efforts are acknowledged and supported, communities become more resilient, sustainable, and capable of achieving climate goals.
“We need to shift the narrative from one of mere survival to one of leadership and empowerment,’’ he said.
“We should focus on long-term responsibility rather than short-term fixes and prioritise values such as care, equity, and stewardship over purely technical solutions.’’