Bangladesh Gender Action Plan 2024 & Climate Change Adaptation

The first Climate Change and Gender Action Plan (CCGAP) in 2013 set out a strategic framework to integrate gender considerations into the country's climate actions providing guidelines for some key sectors, including agriculture, water resources, energy, health, and livelihoods.

- AKM Monowar Hossain Akhand

While the Paris Agreement was adopted giving importance to gender aspects in 2015, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have been adopted regarding climate actions and priority attention to gender equity. With the priorities and necessities, the Bangladesh National Adaptation Plan 2023-2050 was revised in 2021, and an updated version of the Climate Change and Gender Action Plan was adopted in March 2024, to make it more relevant to gender-based actions for recognizing gender equality and women’s empowerment. The plan suggests ensuring equitable access to resources, establishing a gender-responsive environment, and a socially inclusive adaptation process.

Climate change is a threat with a differential impact on the lives of women, girls, and the most excluded groups. After the climate-disasters, gender-based violence increases, and becomes gender-specific vulnerabilities. The country adopted international commitments to shape its position on gender equality through the Convention of all Discrimination against Women-1979; and Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action1995. Similarly, the national policies aimed at eliminating violence against women, ensuring their political participation, providing equal rights to work, and restraining child marriage.