Platforms for the inclusion of gender and sexual minorities in climate change adaptation policy and action

Originally published by the Stockholm Environmental Institute
https://cdn.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/platforms-for-the-inclusion-of-gender-and-sexual-minorities-in-climate-change-adaptation-policy-and-action.pdf

BACKGROUND

The voices gender and sexual minorities* have long been silenced, unheard or, at best, insufficiently heard when it comes to designing policies and actions geared towards adapting to the impacts of climate change. Gender and sexual minorities are people who do not identify within the heteronormative and/or Western woman-man binary. These groups include LGBTIQ+ minorities as well as non- Western gender identities such as Vaka sa lewa lewa in Fiji, Fa’afafine in Samoa, Waria in Indonesia and Bakla in the Philippines.

Gender and sexual minority groups face unique challenges in dealing with climate change as well as other hazards. They often lack access to resources, including information, and means of adaptation that are easily available to other groups in society. They may also experience discrimination and human rights violations in their everyday lives. Despite these adversities, gender and sexual minorities display a wide range of unique resources, skills and knowledge when dealing with the impact of climate change.

WHAT?

A consortium of academic and non-governmental institutions across Southeast Asia and the Pacific are working together with gender and sexual minority leaders to identify challenges and opportunities that hinder or facilitate their adaptation to climate change. This series of national and regional events will bring together voices from across the region to underline challenges that prevent the views and rights of gender and sexual minorities from being recognised in CCA policies and actions at the national and international levels. Participants will be invited to discuss how gender and sexual minority groups can increase public participation and engagement in climate change adaptation at local and national levels. They will also contribute to designing a road map that will foster the participation of gender and sexual minorities in international and national CCA policies and actions within broader development agendas. This road map will include a clear set of actions that can be initiated beyond the workshop.

This event will not consider climate change adaptation in a silo but rather within the broader space of DRR, itself sitting under development.

WHERE?

To empower gender and sexual minorities, a series of national level workshops in Fiji, Indonesia, the Philippines, Samoa and Tonga will be organised to share everyday experiences in adapting to climate change and discuss what engagement might look like at the national or regional level. At the end of this series of national workshops, a virtual, regional event will be held in late January to consolidate learnings and finalise the steps going forward.

* The terminology "gender and sexual minorities" is contested. We recognise that our choice is not consensual nor will it represent all identities.

WHO?

National dialogues will provide members of gender and sexual minority organisations, allies, policy actors and, in some cases, local government the opportunity to share experiences and ideas for future engagement. This consortium will provide NNGS organizations in Asia and the Pacific the infrastructure to implement the road map and support its expansion to other Civil Society Organizations and countries.