The regional meeting of the Gender and Environment Working Group has enabled the exchange of experiences between 18 countries in the region,

and the identification of areas for action to strengthen the gender dimension in climate and environmental policies. 

Panama City, 25 March 2022 - Environmental degradation and the triple global crisis (climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution) are exacerbating inequalities and poverty, but while these phenomena affect all people, they do not affect men and women in the same way or to the same extent.

Understanding this point makes the differential impact of the environmental crisis based on gender visible: to the extent that the tasks of production and reproduction of life are mainly carried out by women, it is they who are most vulnerable to changes in environmental conditions.

In this context, the Regional Meeting of the Gender and Environment Working Group of Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), was held on 24 and 25 March in Panama City, organized by the Presidency of this Group, headed by the Ministry of the Environment of Chile, the Technical Secretariat of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), and the EUROCLIMA+ programme, through the International and Ibero-America Foundation for Administration and Public Policy (FIIAPP). More than 50 representatives from 18 countries in the region participated in the sessions.

The objective of the meeting was to generate capacities, promote cooperation between countries, exchange experiences, gather information on gender and climate change needs, identify potential proposals on gender and climate change, and adjust the 2022 - 2023 work plan for the Group. It was also possible to review the Group's work plan, which came out of this meeting strengthened. 

Day 24

The opening of the meeting was attended by Maisa Rojas, Minister of Environment of Chile and President of the Gender and Environment Group; Jacqueline Álvarez, Regional Director and UNEP Representative for Latin America and the Caribbean; Inma Zamora, Secretary General of FIIAPP; Amelie González, Secretary General of MiAmbiente Panamá; Adolfo Campos, Head of the Political Section of the Delegation of the European Union in Panama and Cecilia Castillo, Director of Climate Governance for EUROCLIMA+ in FIIAPP.

During her intervention, Chile's Minister of Environment, Maisa Rojas, stressed the government's commitment to ensure gender mainstreaming in the climate crisis by also addressing the care crisis in order to achieve sustainable, inclusive and resilient development.

Jacqueline Álvarez, UNEP Regional Director for LAC, then supported the importance of the link between gender and the environment, and warned that "making peace with nature also means making peace with disadvantaged social groups, with women and girls, with ethnic and sexual minorities, with people in situations of disability and vulnerability, with the poorest and with rural farmers, because only then will they be allies in achieving the SDGs and the longed-for Sustainable Development".

Inma Zamora, Secretary General of the FIIAPP, highlighted the importance of enhancing the interaction between the social, environmental and economic dimensions in a process of joint strengthening of the three agendas, and the role that the gender perspective can play in public policies. "Gender equality is a fundamental right and is essential to achieving a more just, peaceful and sustainable world. We need to address the challenge of climate change as both a challenge and an opportunity for social, environmental and economic justice".

Likewise, Adolfo Campos, from the Delegation of the European Union in Panama, highlighted the great added value of the EUROCLIMA+ programme and its support to mechanisms such as the Gender and Environment Group, which allows progress towards two crucial goals at the same time: the #EU Gender Action Plan and the #EU Green Pact.

In the next block, Javiera Zárate Martel, in her role as chair (MMA Chile) presented the Gender and Environment Working Group of Latin America and the Caribbean and the results achieved between 2021 - 2022, as well as the conclusions from the Regional Meeting on Climate Change and Gender Equality  that took place in 2021. For his part, Adrian Cardona from UNEP presented the results of the mapping of experiences and actors in gender and environment in LAC. The main results of the study were the mapping of 54 experiences in 28 countries in the region and the identification of 247 actors related to the integration of gender in environmental issues in the 33 countries of LAC. Finally, Piedad Martín, Deputy Regional Director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in Latin America and the Caribbean, presented the Group's Work Plan for subsequent discussion and adjustment, and made some reflections on the role of women in the environment, the origin and projections of the Regional Group and the importance of this issue for UNEP and its regional office.

Through the world coffee dynamic led by specialists María José Pacha and Alexandra Vasquez, the country representatives were able to present their respective experiences and exchange lessons learned on the subject.

Finally, with the objective of capacity building, the Group reviewed the Checklist for gender and environment initiatives developed by Chile, Mexico, Guatemala and UNEP.

Day 25

The second day began with the presentation of the Study on women’s access to green jobs in Latin America, by Lourdes Fernández and Lourdes Álvarez, EUROCLIMA+ / FIIAPP consultants. Marcela Melo, Coordinator of the EU-LAC International Women's Network presented this Network with a view to evaluating future instances of cooperation and exchange with the Group. The first block ended with the presentation of the host country by Rosilena Lindo, National Undersecretary of Energy of Panama, on the Integration of the Gender Perspective in the Energy Transition Agenda of this country.

The EUROCLIMA+ programme had a space for the presentation of the initiatives it is supporting in terms of gender mainstreaming in climate policies. This work has been carried out for several years as a result of considering gender equality as a transversal axis for the activities promoted through the different sectors prioritised by the Programme and the various lines of action that frame its activities, including in particular the line of action "Gender and vulnerable groups".

In addition, a proposal for indicators for measuring gender and environment designed by the Group was presented to receive feedback, with the objective of carrying out a pilot to analyse the availability of data in the countries of the region.

Finally, to round off the workdays, the countries decided to re-elect the chairmanship of the Group, until now represented by the Chilean Ministry of the Environment.

About EUROCLIMA+ 

EUROCLIMA+ is a programme funded by the European Union and co-financed by the German federal government through the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), as well as by the governments of France and Spain through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation. 

The Programme's mission is to reduce the impact of climate change and its effects in 18 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, promoting mitigation, adaptation, resilience and climate investment. It is implemented according to the "Spirit of Team Europe" under the synergistic work of seven agencies: the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID), the French Development Agency (AFD), the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), Expertise France (EF), the International and Ibero-America Foundation for Administration and Public Policy (FIIAPP), the German Society for International Cooperation (GIZ) GmbH, and the UN Environment Programme (UNEP).