While MSB has many years of experience of implementing environmental and gender perspectives in its humanitarian work, disaster risk reduction (DRR) and climate change adaptation present a different set of opportunities and challenges, including a larger need for social change along with conventional development work.
This report clarifies the links between adaptation and DRR and examines how gender aspects relate to each area. It also provides an overview of the ways in which a gender perspective informs adaptation efforts and how these relate to MSB’s work, and an analysis of the relevant stakeholders, capacity, and main actors at different levels of governance.
This report takes two complementary approaches to the gender issue. The first, commonly referred to as “intersectionality”, examines gender in conjunction with other social structures. The second is a systems approach to understanding social stability and change, and brings to light the variety of ways social interactions can be structured.
The findings make it clear that women and girls are especially vulnerable to climate change impacts and disasters, and there is an urgent need to examine gender differences and to better understand women’s needs as beneficiaries of DRR efforts and their roles as actors in these efforts.
The authors conclude that the implications of climate impacts for gender issues need to be become an integral component in MSB’s operations Implementing gender policies and actions requires clarity, institutional change, and senior management buy-in, supported and informed by accurate sex-disaggregated information. The report addresses how to achieve this by formulating strategic areas for action, and describing potential activities under each.
Read the report (external link to MSB)
