PRESS RELEASE

Maggie Roth, IUCN Global Gender Office, m +1 202 304 6703, e maggie.roth@iucn.org

Peru commits to mainstream gender equality into

climate policy
On Gender Day at the UNFCCC COP 20, host country Peru pledges a gender-responsive climate
change action plan
Lima, Peru 9 December, 2014 (IUCN) On Gender Day at the United Nations Convention on Climate Change
(UNFCCC) Conference of the Parties (COP), the Government of Peru, in accordance with IUCNs Global Gender Office
(GGO), is pleased to announce its commitment to a Climate Change Gender Action Plan (ccGAP). This is the first country
in South America to incorporate a ccGAP into its national climate policy and planning.
Recognizing the critical role of women and gender equality in tackling climate change, several countries have created
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ccGAPs and more are following suit. Peru is the 14 country to pledge to integrate a gender-responsive approach to
climate change, demonstrating how developing countries are making great strides in including women in national climate
change agendas.
The Government of Peru, particularly as host of this crucial COP, is poised to be a leader in terms of propelling progress
the country has the potential to impact the lives of millions of women globally, says IUCN Global Senior Gender
Adviser, Lorena Aguilar. For this reason, we are so pleased to witness Perus commitment to a climate change gender
action plan and recognize this large step forward towards ensuring a new gender-responsive climate change framework.
IUCNs GGO also recently conducted an extension of the Environment and Gender Index (EGI) study to include Peru. Out
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of the 73 countries worldwide that have been studied, Peru ranks 26 . Some resulting facts include:
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In Peru, 76% of women work in the informal sector; and 47% are engaged in vulnerable employment, which is a
sub-section of the informal sector including unpaid family workers and own-account workers.
Peru receives perfect scores for equal legal rights of women and men on 11 dimensions including joint marital
titling for major assets and inheritance rights of children and spouses and full ratification of the Committee on the
Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW).
Peru receives the second highest score in the region for Critical Habitat Protection and high scores for women's
legal and de facto access to credit and property other than land.
In Peru's income level group, it ranks 7 out of 19 countries in the ecosystem category and 5 out of 19 countries for
gender-based rights and participation.

We have chosen to commit to a Climate Change Gender Action Plan because we recognize the importance of gender
considerations in climate change policy-making, says Gabriel Quijandra, Deputy Vice-Minister of Environment,
Peru, Director of Peru Delegation, UNFCCC COP 20. In Peru, we want to include women in high-level decision-making
on environmental threats and opportunities, as we know this will increase our odds of success. It is our hope that other
countries will follow suit and incorporate ccGAPs into their policy and planning and we are proud to be the first South
American country to do so.
COP 20 is an important opportunity to continue to build enabling elements of an effective, efficient, and equitable genderresponsive climate change framework. ccGAPs aid this progress, as they fully incorporate gender into a countrys climate
change process, rather than mentioning gender as an add-on. When integrated early on, it becomes easier for
governments to include ccGAPs into national planning, such as National Adaptation Programmes of Action (NAPAs) for
Least Developed Countries, and Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Actions (NAMAs), as well as projects and financing
mechanisms.
For more information about how the integration of a gender-responsive approach to climate change can contribute to
reducing gender and social inequalities, please click here. Click here for more information about the Peru EGI and here
for more information on the EGI.
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For more information or to schedule interviews please contact:
Maggie Roth, IUCN Global Gender Office, m +1 202 304 6703, e maggie.roth@iucn.org

PRESS RELEASE

About IUCN
IUCN, the International Union for Conservation of Nature, helps the world find pragmatic solutions to our most pressing environment and
development challenges by supporting scientific research; managing field projects all over the world; and bringing governments, NGOs, the UN,
international conventions and companies together to develop policy, laws and best practice.
The world's oldest and largest global environmental network, IUCN is a democratic membership union with more than 1,000 government and
NGO member organizations, and almost 11,000 volunteer scientists and experts in some 160 countries. IUCN's work is supported by over
1,000 professional staff in 60 offices and hundreds of partners in public, NGO and private sectors around the world. IUCN's headquarters are
located in Gland, near Geneva, in Switzerland.
www.iucn.org
About GGO
GGO, the Global Gender Office, enjoys worldwide recognition for the extensive work it has carried out over the past twelve years addressing
gender equality issues within the environmental sector. This includes the development of sector-specific gender tools, gender-mainstreaming
efforts with a variety of global forums including the CBD (Convention on Biological Diversity), UNEP (United Nations Environment Programme),
CSD (United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development), CSW (Commission on the Status of Women) and World Water Forum, along
with the establishment of gender entities in environmental ministries throughout Central America. IUCN has provided support to UNEP and the
CBD to develop gender action plans.
www.genderandenvironment.org