Background

South Asia is one of the most vulnerable regions to climate shocks. The region is living through a “new climate normal” in which intensifying heat waves, cyclones, droughts, and floods are testing the limits of government, businesses, and citizens to adapt. More than half of all South Asians, or 750 million people in the 8 countries — Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka — were affected by one or more climate-related disasters in the last two decades.  The changing climate could sharply diminish living conditions for up to 800 million people in a region that already has some of the world’s poorest and most vulnerable populations. [https://www.unwomen.org/en/news-stories/explainer/2022/02/explainer-how-gender-inequality-and-climate-change-are-interconnected]

It has been established that climate change has both a direct and indirect impact on a wide range of human rights, including the rights of women and children. The Paris Agreement, in acknowledging that climate change is a common concern for humankind, calls for climate action to “respect, promote and consider respective obligations on human rights, the rights of children, persons with disabilities and people in vulnerable situations … as well as gender equality, empowerment of women…”

While differences in impacts can be observed in South Asia in contrast to those seen globally, different groups such as women and children further experience disproportionate impacts of climate change as a result of structural barriers and cultural norms. These barriers hinder access for these vulnerable groups to rights, resources, and representation in climate action.

Vulnerable communities and especially children and women, who undoubtedly face the brunt of climate change in the region, will require actions from design to implementation and accountability by both public and private actors. This is imperative to ensure that women and children have appropriate access to rights, resources, and representation, when experiencing and addressing the climate crisis in the region.

Civil society organizations have a key role to play in sharing their skills and knowledge with governments and in shaping gender-responsive and inclusive climate policies. They must be empowered with the resources and opportunities they need to engage with governments to build resilience, boost preparedness and to cope with what is coming at speed.

The main goal of this project is to build capacity of CANSA partners to incorporate, strengthen and amplify the voices of women and children, and provide solutions to mainstreaming gender and child rights in climate action at the country level in the South Asian region. The project aims to :

• To build capacity of CANSA partners to incorporate, strengthen and amplify the voice of children at regional and sub-regional forums.
• CSO partners discuss the prevailing gendered issues faced by girls, boys, and non-binary children during capacity building activities in order to address the gender gaps and promote rights amongst children.
• To identify partners and process for documentation and sharing of good practices employed by CSOs to ensure inclusive, gender sensitive and transformative policies, practices, systems, budgets and services for children’s rights.

Funding partner

Save The Children

Duration

2022 – 2026

Project Coordinator

Rushati Das, Contact : rushati@cansouthasia.net