On 11 February, the United Nations, alongside partners worldwide, will mark the International Day of Women and Girls in Science.

Science and gender equality are both vital for the achievement of the internationally agreed development goals, including the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Recognizing the role of women and girls in science, not only as beneficiaries, but also as agents of change, the 7th International Day of Women and Girls in Science Assembly will focus on the following topic: "Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion: Water Unites Us."

Survey of gender bias in the IPCC

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change needs to do more to include the expertise and voices of women, even as numbers and policies improve. Although the numbers of women involved in writing IPCC reports have increased steadily since the 1990s, a gender imbalance and barriers to women’s participation persist.

Why does this matter? Fair representation and broad expertise are essential when considering an issue as global, urgent and cross-cutting as climate change.

How can we identify gender gaps in current and future recovery measures? The integration of gender-transformative policies is necessary in driving a sustainable and inclusive recovery. Read more about the challenges and opportunities for gender policies in the European Green Deal:

How can Nature Based Infrastructures (NBI) be a game-changer for women?

Women have long faced a greater burden from a changing climate compared to men, which exacerbates many other inequalities.
Women often face barriers to accessing and control over natural resources as well as being underrepresented in environmental decision making and natural resources management. Due to these disadvantages, women are less likely to benefit from NBI projects.

However, a recent IISD report illustrates why a gender-responsive approach toward ecosystem-based adaptation and NBI has proven benefits and shows how practitioners and policy-makers can implement it.

Hence, the upcoming NBI Global Resource Centre aims to work closely with women stakeholders, integrate their knowledge, and train them in NBI and climate adaptation.

Read the blog to find out more!

How can we address the challenges faced by women entrepreneurs? With the pandemic, existing barriers have intensified to further impede women's ability to start, sustain, and expand their businesses. What steps can be taken to enhance the enabling environment for women entrepreneurs across the Asia-Pacific region?

Improving educational, health, and economic opportunities for women and girls in sub-Saharan Africa is imperative to unlock the region's potential for sustainable growth. To improve future productivity, vulnerable groups' access to education and basic health must be prioritized.

A green economy transition in sub-Saharan Africa would enable women to benefit from primary-level jobs, but not higher-paying positions in the renewable energy, infrastructure, or transportation sectors. What needs to be changed to remove the constraints women face in accessing education, formal-sector work, and financing solutions?

Gender, Innovation & Research

Last week the European Commission published its ‘She Figures 2021’ report, which monitors progress towards gender equality in research and innovation, both key factors in the green transition.

It shows that the gender gap in education is shrinking, but that women are still under-represented in research and innovation career, particularly when it comes to decision-making positions.

For example, in the EU in 2018, women represented more than 40% of academic staff on average. However, going up in the academic ladder, women make up only one-fourth (26.2%) of grade A positions (equivalent for full professorship position).

The pandemic has exacerbated the risks for women and girls across the region. Yet women have taken up essential roles in the response as front-line health care workers as well as in their homes. Many of the hard-fought gains have been reversed, and existing inequalities deepened. Even before the pandemic, women and girls in Asia and the Pacific spent up to 11 hours a day on unpaid care and domestic work – four times more than men.

How can we better address these vulnerabilities? Read the report to learn more about the unpaid care economy and how it has impacted women and girls during the pandemic:

There can be no just transition without gender justice.

Indeed, the pandemic has drawn attention to a trio of interlocking crises that systematically undermine gender equality: jobs, care and climate.

In response, UN Women’s new “Feminist plan” provides a visionary but practical roadmap for putting gender equality, social justice, and sustainability at the centre of the recovery and transformation.

Visit the webpage to find our more.