Gender Equity and Social Inclusion: Priority action area

Gender equity and social inclusion: Priority action area

Climate and weather extremes, such as heatwaves, erratic rainfall and cyclones, have intensified in recent decades, placing a disproportionate burden on lower-income countries in the Global South. Recovery in these regions is often hindered by geographical constraints, limited infrastructure and fragile economies. These challenges are further exacerbated by socio-economic factors including inadequate social support, overburdened health services, and insufficient access to education and employment. Collectively, these conditions heighten vulnerability to the impacts of climate change.

Intersectional identities, as a combined result of age, gender, disability, ethnicity, citizenship and socioeconomic status, further affect the way people experience climate change. It becomes evident that both the risks people face, and their capacity to respond, are shaped by their intersectional identities. Recognising how underlying social and economic inequalities contribute to climate vulnerability is essential for implementing gender equitable and socially inclusive (GESI) interventions.

Scoping exercises conducted in focus countries during CDKN 2 revealed a pressing need to strengthen capacity in applying GESI and existing gender mainstreaming frameworks (such as the UN Gender Action Plan), regional and national gender frameworks within climate programmes and projects. Accordingly, the Gender Equity and Social Inclusion (GESI) priority area underscores the importance of embedding GESI across all levels of engagement, from locally led climate action to global governance.

Project objectives

The GESI priority area focuses on empowering those most affected by climate change, including women, girls, youth, Indigenous communities, people living with disabilities (PLWD), and other disadvantaged groups.

This priority area will:

Strengthen the capacity of external stakeholders engaged in CDKN’s training and brokering processes to deliver gender equitable and socially inclusive, nature-positive climate policy and practice.

Embed GESI into global climate agendas and advocacy.

Create convening spaces for innovative, inclusive climate action, spotlighting underrepresented voices.

Channel finance to women, youth, people with disabilities, and climate leaders at the local level.

Collaborate with communities and marginalised groups by using knowledge brokering tools, so that they can be even more effective advocates for inclusive climate action.

Project activities

Globally, we engage with various bodies including UNFCCC, IPCC, regional institutions, and donor platforms by sharing evidence and recommendations from CDKN’s local, country and regional work to advance GESI in climate policy and action. This includes delivering numerous training and professional development sessions, to support people to strengthen GESI in their climate planning and implementation, including through case studies, and innovative serious fun games that surface people’s intersecting identities.

Regionally we work across Africa, Asia and Latin America.

In the Africa region, our work primarily focuses on strengthening the capacity of government stakeholders at national, sub-national and local levels to integrate GESI in policy and practice. We have also supported the development and capacitation of networks of young people in climate action to increase their voice and participation in climate decision-making forums at national level in Ghana and Ethiopia.
In Asia, our GESI efforts are targeted to local government stakeholders. This includes training and technical assistance to support the development of climate-induced disaster action plans that integrate both GESI and ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA) principles in Bangladesh and India; and supporting the formulation of Local Adaptation Plans of Action (LAPAs) in cities across Sri Lanka and Nepal. These LAPAs promote action in communities that are vulnerable to climate change, embedding climate considerations into urban planning, decision-making, and budgeting processes.
In Latin America, CDKN collaborates with water funds and local communities in Peru, Colombia, and Ecuador to strengthen their leadership in GESI-responsive climate adaptation. Through the provision of small Knowledge-to-Action Grants, CDKN is enabling Water Funds to pilot and scale projects that integrate GESI and EbA principles into their planning and implementation. These investments are helping to catalyse more inclusive, context-aware approaches to resilience building, and contribute to closing the gap between policy intent and practice in water governance and climate programming.

At subnational and local levels across our three focus regions, we promote capacity strengthening and advocacy for the meaningful inclusion of marginalised groups, particularly women and youth from grassroots communities, in formal climate planning and local development processes. Our efforts include targeted support to promote their inclusion while helping strengthen their ability to engage in these processes. We also promote norm-shifting initiatives that reduce barriers to women’s participation in formal spaces, such as gender reflection spaces in Peru and the formation of women’s networks in Ecuador.