As the world converges on Brazil for COP30, the air is thick with more than just the humidity of the Amazon; it is heavy with the weight of a decade’s worth of climate promises and the urgent need for a radical shift in strategy. While the scientific community warns of tipping points and rising sea levels, a quieter but equally devastating crisis is unfolding: the disproportionate impact of environmental collapse on the world’s women and girls. For too long, climate policy has been treated as a technical exercise in carbon parts per million, often ignoring the human face of the crisis. However, at this year’s summit, a pivotal document known as the Gender Action Plan (GAP) is set to take center stage, offering a roadmap to ensure that the transition to a green economy does not leave half the population behind.
The fundamental truth that policymakers can no longer ignore is that climate change is not gender neutral. From the rural villages of sub-Saharan Africa to the storm-battered islands of the Caribbean, women and girls bear the brunt of environmental degradation. They are often the primary providers of food, water, and fuel—resources that are becoming increasingly scarce. When a drought hits, it is the girls who are pulled out of school to walk further for water. When a hurricane strikes, it is the women who face heightened risks of gender-based violence in overcrowded shelters. These are not coincidences; they are the result of deep-seated structural inequalities that climate change amplifies.
As world leaders gather in Brazil, they face both an opportunity and a profound obligation. The adoption of a new, transformative Gender Action Plan is not merely a “women’s issue”—it is a prerequisite for effective climate action. Without the participation and leadership of women, climate solutions are destined to be incomplete and unsustainable. As Mary Robinson, the former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, famously remarked, “Climate change is a manmade problem that requires a feminist solution.” This perspective shifts the narrative from viewing women as passive victims to recognizing them as essential agents of change and leaders in the global environmental movement.
To understand the significance of the negotiations in Brazil, one must understand the UNFCCC Gender Action Plan (GAP). Conceived as a strategic framework, the GAP is intended to be the “user manual” for integrating gender perspectives into every facet of climate policy. Whether it is climate mitigation, adaptation, finance, or technology transfer, the GAP ensures that these initiatives boost women’s participation rather than hindering it. The first iteration of the plan was adopted in 2017, but as the world enters a more volatile era of the climate crisis, the Parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change are tasked with submitting a vastly updated version at COP30. This revision is a cornerstone of the Enhanced Lima Work Programme on Gender, and its final form will determine if gender equality remains a central pillar of global climate strategy or if it is relegated to the margins for the next ten years.
What does gender-responsive climate action actually look like in practice? It means moving beyond rhetoric and ensuring that climate finance reaches grassroots women’s organizations. Currently, a minuscule fraction of global climate funding is directed toward local women-led initiatives, despite the fact that these groups are often the first responders in environmental disasters. Gender-responsive action also means ensuring that the “green jobs” of the future are accessible to women, providing them with the technical training and financial tools necessary to lead in the renewable energy sector. It involves creating policies that recognize and reduce the burden of unpaid care work, which often spikes in the wake of climate-related disruptions.
UN Women and its global partners are pushing for a paradigm shift where gender equality is built into the DNA of climate solutions. This includes rigorous advocacy for every outcome negotiated at COP30 to be scrutinized through a gender lens. To support this, UN Women has introduced a new monitoring tool: The Gender Equality and Climate Policy Scorecard. This dashboard assesses how national climate policies are addressing specific inequalities, from health outcomes to gender-based violence. By providing hard data, the scorecard holds governments accountable, showing exactly where countries are stepping up and where they are failing to protect their female citizens.
The urgency of this mission is heightened by a worrying global trend: a growing backlash against women’s rights. In many parts of the world, hard-won gains in reproductive health, economic empowerment, and legal protections are being rolled back. This political climate makes the negotiations at COP30 even more precarious. A strong Gender Action Plan is not just a tool for environmental policy; it is a vital defense against the erosion of human rights. UN Women is calling on world leaders to meet this moment with a plan that is not only ambitious but also legally and financially backed. A plan that lacks clear targets, dedicated funding, and accountability mechanisms is little more than a “check-the-box” exercise—something the planet and its people can no longer afford.
The stakes for women and girls are remarkably high. In rural Dominica, for example, the Northeast Women Farmers Group has demonstrated the power of gender-responsive action. Supported by UN Women, these farmers worked to bring local lands back to life after the devastation of Hurricane Maria in 2018. Their success was not just about planting seeds; it was about reclaiming economic independence and building community resilience. Similarly, in Haiti, young women have been at the forefront of reforestation campaigns, recognizing that restoring the pine forests is essential for the long-term survival of their communities. These stories are proof that when women are given the tools and the platform, they deliver results that benefit entire societies.
However, for every success story, there are countless missed opportunities where climate policies have failed to account for gender. If the new GAP is weak or absent, the consequences will be felt most acutely by those already on the front lines: Indigenous women, rural workers, and youth. These groups are not only fighting for their livelihoods but for the preservation of their cultures and ancestral lands. An ambitious Gender Action Plan is, at its heart, a matter of climate justice. It acknowledges that those who have contributed the least to global emissions are often the ones paying the highest price, and it seeks to rectify that imbalance.
As the negotiations continue in Brazil, the message from UN Women is clear: enough with the promises; it is time for action. The adoption of a bold, inclusive, and transformative Gender Action Plan is the only way to ensure a sustainable future. Global leaders must recognize that the climate crisis is inextricably linked to the crisis of inequality. You cannot solve one without addressing the other. The solutions we design today will determine the shape of the world for the next decade and beyond.
In the halls of COP30, the demand for a feminist approach to climate action is growing louder. It is a demand for a world where a girl’s education is not sacrificed to a drought, where a woman’s leadership is not sidelined in the boardroom, and where the transition to a green economy is a transition to a fairer world. The climate crisis is not gender neutral, and the solutions cannot be either. Women and girls everywhere are demanding their rightful place in the future—and the Gender Action Plan is the vehicle to get them there. Global leaders have the chance to deliver a legacy of equality and resilience; they must not let it slip away.
