Gender Relations in International Climate Change Negotiations

Up until very recently gender issues have been absent from international climate change negotiations. This paper gives an historical overview of the participation of women and women's organisations in international conferences on climate protection. It explores how women's presence in these forums has enhanced the integration of gender issues into the climate change debate and policy-making processes. The paper observes that although men continue to dominate the debate, women have made a valuable contribution thanks to their networking and interpersonal skills and to their ability to think and plan for the long term. Despite such progress, gender issues are still considered minor in climate change negotiations. Some entry points to advocate for the integration of a gender perspective in the debate include: produce gender analysis of adaptation to climate change and vulnerability to its impacts for more sustainable mechanisms of risk management; carry out gender analysis of climate protection instruments; and apply gender budgeting to climate change funds. The author also suggests that international institutions pay more attention to changing individual behaviour to protect the climate and mitigate CO2 emissions rather than merely concentrating on emissions reduction/trading.