The climate crisis is already exacerbating existing health vulnerabilities and gender inequalities faced by women, young people, especially adolescent girls, people with disabilities, people with diverse sexual orientation, gender identity and sex characteristics (SOGIESC) and other marginalized groups, including challenges related to preventable maternal deaths, unmet need for family planning, and gender-based violence and other harmful practices. If left unaddressed, climate change will leave lasting direct and indirect impacts on sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), gender-based violence (GBV), gender equality and human-centred sustainable development.
To achieve gender-responsive climate action, SRHR is key; it is crucial to integrate and implement SRHR and gender equity and equality considerations into national development plans, policies and processes.
This training manual serves to guide the delivery of training workshops to build the awareness, knowledge and capacity of national actors on the links between the climate crisis, SRHR (including reproductive, maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health), and gender inequality issues pertaining to harmful practices, including child, early and forced marriage and unions and gender-based violence. The workshops will enhance the capacities of government officials and stakeholders to ensure such issues are integrated into national climate policies, including Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), National Adaptation Plans (NAPs), Climate Change Gender Action Plans (ccGAPs), and Health National Adaptation Plans (HNAPs) towards gender-transformative climate action.
The manual is suitable for both in-person and online training and comprises six modules that can be delivered over a five-day workshop through a mix of presentations: plenary and interactive breakout brainstorming sessions; videos; and hands-on application of knowledge to develop action plans. A set of key resources is provided at the end of each module, and supplementary materials could be added to support the context-specific understandings of the linkages and the identification of national priorities.
