As the humidity of the Amazonian basin hung over the final sessions of COP30 in Belém, Brazil, a historic consensus emerged that promises to reshape the global response to the climate crisis for the next decade. The international community has officially adopted the Belém Gender Action Plan (GAP), a comprehensive nine-year roadmap designed to ensure that gender equality is not merely a peripheral concern, but the very engine of climate policy. This landmark agreement, welcomed with fervor by UN Women, marks a decisive shift from theoretical advocacy to a structured, time-bound framework for action that addresses the unique vulnerabilities and leadership of women and girls across the globe.
The adoption of the Belém GAP comes at a time of unprecedented environmental urgency. For women living on the front lines of the climate crisis—from the drying pastoral lands of sub-Saharan Africa to the flood-prone coastal regions of Southeast Asia—the stakes could not be higher. The new plan serves as a blueprint for the next nine years, providing a strategic bridge between international climate commitments and the lived realities of women. By placing gender at the center of the climate agenda, the Belém outcome acknowledges a fundamental truth: the climate crisis is not gender-neutral, and therefore, its solutions cannot be either.
One of the most significant breakthroughs of the Belém Gender Action Plan is its expanded scope. For the first time, the document introduces critical elements that link climate change to public health, the eradication of violence against women and girls (VAWG), and the urgent need for protection mechanisms for women environmental defenders. These additions reflect a growing recognition of the multi-dimensional threats women face in a warming world. In regions where resource scarcity leads to conflict, women and girls often face increased risks of gender-based violence. Similarly, women environmental defenders—those on the ground protecting forests and waterways—are frequently targeted with harassment and physical harm. The Belém GAP seeks to institutionalize protections for these individuals, recognizing them as essential guardians of biodiversity.
Furthermore, the plan delves into the economic architecture of a green future. It emphasizes the importance of “care work”—a sector predominantly managed by women that is often undervalued and invisible in economic statistics. As the world moves toward a “socially just transition,” the Belém GAP advocates for the creation of decent work and quality jobs for women within the green economy. This ensures that the shift away from fossil fuels does not leave women behind in low-wage, informal sectors, but instead provides them with the tools and opportunities to lead in renewable energy, sustainable agriculture, and conservation technology.
Intersectionality is the heartbeat of this new agreement. The Belém GAP explicitly recognizes that the experience of climate change is shaped by a variety of overlapping factors, including disability, ethnicity, and geography. The document specifically highlights the needs and leadership of Indigenous women, women from rural and remote communities, women with disabilities, and women and girls of African descent. This nuanced approach is a victory for grassroots advocates who have long argued that a “one size fits all” gender policy fails to address the specific barriers faced by those most marginalized by history and geography. By centering these voices, the plan aims to foster climate governance that is truly inclusive and equitable.
However, the transition from policy to practice requires more than just high-level consensus. UN Women has been vocal about the necessity of robust “means of implementation.” To ensure the Belém GAP does not become a dormant document, it must be supported by significant financial investment, technology transfer, and capacity-building initiatives. Effective implementation requires that climate finance be gender-responsive, meaning that funds must be accessible to women-led organizations and that climate-related investments are screened for their impact on gender equality. Without these provisions, the ambitious goals of the GAP risk remaining out of reach for the communities that need them most.
Reflecting on the significance of this moment, Sarah Hendriks, Director of the Policy, Programme and Intergovernmental Division at UN Women, underscored the organization’s commitment to the road ahead. “UN Women stands ready to work with all Parties and relevant stakeholders to bridge the gaps, so the Gender Action Plan becomes a tool for inclusive, effective and sustainable implementation for gender-responsive climate action that benefit women and girls in all their diversity,” Hendriks stated. Her words highlight a pivotal transition point for the UN entity, moving from the negotiation phase into a period of intensive collaboration and monitoring.
The Gender Action Plan (GAP) itself is rooted in the broader history of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). It operates across five core priority areas: capacity-building, knowledge management, and communication; gender balance and women’s leadership; coherence within the UN system; gender-responsive implementation; and rigorous monitoring and reporting. The Belém iteration of the GAP strengthens these pillars, aiming for a more coherent mainstreaming of gender perspectives at every level of climate governance—from local municipal planning to international treaty negotiations. It is a framework built on the understanding that women’s full and meaningful participation is not a “favor” to be granted, but a prerequisite for effective climate mitigation and adaptation.
The context of COP30 in Brazil added a layer of symbolic and practical weight to these negotiations. As the host nation, Brazil’s focus on the Amazon and the rights of Indigenous and Afro-descendant populations influenced the dialogue, pushing the international community to consider the deep links between environmental health and social justice. The Belém GAP reflects this “Southern” perspective, emphasizing that the fight against climate change is inseparable from the fight for human rights and the dismantling of systemic inequalities.
UN Women’s role in this process is multifaceted. As the leading global authority on gender equality, the organization works across what are known as the “Rio Conventions”—which include international agreements on biodiversity, climate change, and desertification. Their mission is to ensure that the rights of women and girls remain a constant thread through all environmental progress. UN Women operates on the principle that shifting laws, institutions, and social behaviors is the only way to close the gender gap and build a resilient world. Their involvement in COP30 served to remind world leaders that gender equality is not just a moral imperative; it is a strategic necessity for the survival of the planet.
As the international community looks toward the next nine years, the Belém Gender Action Plan stands as a testament to what can be achieved when gender justice is integrated into the heart of global diplomacy. It offers a vision of a world where a woman’s leadership in her community’s climate adaptation is supported by international law, where her safety is guaranteed as she defends her land, and where her economic future is secured in a sustainable, green economy. The work now begins to turn these promises into tangible results, ensuring that by 2034, the world is not only cooler but more just for every woman and girl.
The road from Belém is long, but the blueprint is now clear. The global community has a mandate to act, a timeline to follow, and a moral obligation to ensure that the women on the front lines of the climate crisis are no longer its invisible victims, but its most empowered architects.
