Understanding and addressing gender-based violence as part of the climate emergency

This is a background paper which formed part of the 66th Commission on the Status of Women (CSW66) Expert Meeting on Achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls in the context of climate change, environmental and disaster risk reduction policies and programmes, prepared by Cate Owren of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

This paper summarises some of the findings from recent research on GBV and climate change linkages and notes some current policies and programmes that show entry points for addressing these concerns. With CSW66 offering a powerful spotlight on critical issues affecting the status of women in all their diversity and on gender equality, this paper urges the CSW community to critically engage with current research, analysis and practice connecting GBV and climate change and to forge new ways of working cross-sectorally, with urgency.