Analytical Studies
G7/G8 Environment Ministerial Meetings

Declaration of Intention of Support for G.R.E.A.T.

Gender Responsive Environmental Action & Training

Metz, France, May 6, 2019
[pdf]

On the occasion of the French Presidency of the G7,

We, governments, representatives of companies, civil society, foundations, development banks and scientific and technological research institutes, confirm our willingness to act for highly resilient sustainable development based on a gender-equitable approach.

We

• recognize that supporting gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls is crucial to achieve real change in terms of sustainable development.
• recognize that women and girls are powerful agents for change, while severely threatened by environmental degradation, and recognize the leading role that they can and do play in the transition towards sustainable development.
• emphasize the need to ensure gender equality and to work on synergies between actions to protect the environment, address climate change and advance gender equality. We commit ourselves to bring about signifcant social change, the key to sustainable development.
• wish to make maximum use of the potential of women to ensure gender equality by reviewing and elaborating policies and interventions that will lead to transformational change.
• note that policies for sustainable development at all levels must respond and contribute to the central role women play in building resilience and supporting low-carbon development, including by recognizing the structural gender inequalities that undermine progress for women and sustainable development overall.
• emphasize the need to facilitate the consultation and participation of women into decision making processes and to implement gender-sensitive practices suited to local conditions and national issues with the aim of promoting or increasing their active participation.
• note that private sector can be meaningful partners for training, awareness-raising and capacity-building eforts to ensure women's equal engagement in and beneft from climate change action.
• acknowledge that it is essential to provide policy makers, companies and citizens alike with the appropriate tools and knowledge to integrate gender responsive considerations into sustainable development, environment and climate policies.
• emphasize the need for robust monitoring and assessment systems based on scientifc evidence and the need for appropriate investment in research in order to properly guide our actions.
• stress the need to promote gender equality, the empowerment of women and girls in environmental governance by supporting eforts and improving the active and meaningful participation of all women in global processes, as a contribution to achieving the gender parity goal.
• recognize the importance of fnancing programs to support adoption of these new practices and mobilize stakeholders at all levels, seeking an efcient use of existing fnancial mechanisms in the areas of development, climate and combating gender inequality.
• Recognize women's access to fnancing plays a crucial role in adequately identifying and integrating gender considerations into environment and climate action.
• remain convinced that action and commitment on the part of all actors in the private and scientifc research sectors will enable the promotion of implementation of relevant policies and the channeling of appropriate funding to the diferent components of the "GREAT: Gender Responsive Environmental Action and Training" Initiative.
• recognize relevant initiatives by e.g. the Convention on Biological Diversity through its 2015-2020 Gender Plan of Action[1], the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertifcation through its Gender Action Plan to support gender-responsive implementation of the UNCCD 2018-2030 Strategic Framework[2] and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change through the establishment of a gender action plan[3].
• welcome the relevant work done by e.g. the United Nations Environment Programme, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)[4] and local civil societies organizations to improve the knowledge about the nexus between gender and the environment and the For ALL Global Coalition, led by Costa Rica and Peru, whose objective is the integration of gender and human rights into international environmental texts.

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We fully support the "GREAT : Gender Responsive Environmental Action and Training" Initiative.

We recognize, in regard to our respective missions and mandates, the need :

• to contribute to sustainable, inclusive and equitable development between women and men for a sustainable and just future.
• to bring together infuential actors to highlight gender considerations and exchange within a privileged discussion forum of public and private actors.
• to amplify and produce more knowledge on the subject of gender and sustainable development, and in particular on gender and biodiversity and climate, for which there is currently a lack of gendered data.
• to mobilize funding for the implementation of concrete local solutions for gender equality — for example, the fnancing of projects such as workshops to train women in climate negotiations (capacity building) — and to address barriers to access to funding for women actors.
• to ensure continuity of the recommendations issued by the Gender Equality Advisory Commitee launched under the Canadian G7 Presidency in 2018.

In this context, we are commited to :

• raising awareness among public and private sectors as well as civil society leaders on the specifc gender related impacts of Climate Change and Biodiversity loss.
• supporting training at national and international levels for capacity building for women involved in environmental protection in coordination with actors who are already active in this space.
• strengthen the capacity of girls and women in scientifc and technical expert meetings to increase their active contribution to research and innovation for a low-carbon economy.
• supporting the collection and use of gender disaggregated data, knowledge and evidence where this is consistent with the protection of personal data, with a view to develop gender-responsive environmental policies.
• support and provide opportunities for women's leadership and equal participation in environmental and climate decision-making.
• opening a forum for dialogue and sharing of good practice where we will share our projects, actions, experience and results in this area, in particular the results of research, through a common platorm.

We will implement this declaration through an inclusive and transparent process, guaranteeing fair participation by the various stakeholders, and taking into consideration the need to collaborate with existing, relevant initiatives, including those by the United Nations Environment Programme and by multilateral environment agreements, by seeking synergies with them and others around gender equality, wherever possible.

Canada, Fiji, France, Gabon, Germany, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Niger, Norway, the United Kingdom and the European Union have conirmed their support for the GREAT coalition.

The coalition also received the support of non-state actors such as the French Development Agency, BNP Paribas, L'Oréal – L'Oréal Foundaton and UN Women.

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[1] CBD: COP 12 Decision XII/7. Mainstreaming gender considerations. ↩

[2] UNCCD: COP13 Decision 30/COP13. Gender equality and women's empowerment for the enhanced and efective implementation of the Convention ↩

[3] UNFCCC: Decision 3/CP.23. ↩

[4] htps://www.unenvironment.org/resources/report/gender-and-environment-statistics- unlocking-information-action-and-measuring-sdgs ↩

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Source: The Official Website of the 2019 French Presidency of the G7