Special News Bulletin from AGENT and the GBV-ENV Center
22 December 2022
A gender-responsive post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework: 
Over the past few weeks, the globe gathered in Montreal, Canada to advance the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework under the Convention for Biological Diversity (CBD) – as well as the Convention’s Gender Plan of Action (GPA) and related Targets that will help the globe strengthen inclusive conservation. 
It’s now official! Two Targets address gender:
Target 22
Ensure the full, equitable, inclusive, effective and gender-responsive representation and participation in decision-making, and access to justice and information related to biodiversity by indigenous peoples and local communities, respecting their cultures and their rights over lands, territories, resources, and traditional knowledge, as well as by women and girls, children and youth, and persons with disabilities and ensure the full protection of environmental human rights defenders.
Target 23
Ensure gender equality in the implementation of the framework through a gender-responsive approach where all women and girls have equal opportunity and capacity to contribute to the three objectives of the Convention, including by recognizing their equal rights and access to land and natural resources and their full, equitable, meaningful and informed participation and leadership at all levels of action, engagement, policy and decision-making related to biodiversity.
Groundbreaking advances recognizing gender-based violence and environmental linkages in global policy:
As a part of the Convention’s adoption of its Gender Plan of Action, Objective 1.5 marks the first time Parties to a multilateral environmental agreement have agreed to address gender-based violence and environmental linkages – with specific emphasis on women environmental human rights defenders. If you missed it, you can revisit the Summary for Policymakers from the GBV-ENV Center on gender-based violence and environmental linkages.
Staying informed!
New IUCN Policy Briefs released during COP 15:

During COP 15 these briefs were launched to support a gender-responsive and human rights-centered Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF)
Gender-responsive headline indicators to operationalize the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework
Gender indicators are critical to monitoring the implementation of the Global Biodiversity Framework. Gender affects the differentiated roles, contributions, and impacts women and men experience in biodiversity activities, which means that capturing and measuring gender is key to successful monitoring and evaluation. See this IUCN Policy Brief, produced in collaboration with Women4Biodiversity, with AGENT’s support, detailing how to operationalize women’s contributions and advance their rights under the Global Biodiversity Framework.

The Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) and Environmental Human Rights Defenders
Environmental human rights defenders, including Indigenous Peoples, women, and local communities contribute solutions to the dual climate and biodiversity crisis – but experience threats and violence. Produced in collaboration with CEESP and with AGENT support, see this new IUCN Policy Brief, which highlights findings and analyses from the Gender-Based Violence and Environment Linkages Center (GBV-ENV Center) on how women defenders face targeted risks and threats to their safety, and how the Global Biodiversity Framework can advance their safety and rights alongside other defenders.
AGENT at COP 15 side events:
Joyce Peshu,Gender Officer at Kenya Wildlife Conservancies Association (KWCA) shares insights on how gender-based violence is a barrier in conservation and how KWCA is working to address this under the RISE grants challenge. Photo: IUCN 
Together we RISE: 
Addressing gender-based violence in conservation

At COP 15 a side event, the impact of gender-based violence and conservation on women, communities, and nature was discussed to support the inclusion of GBV considerations within the Post-2020 Gender Plan of Action. IUCN demonstrated how taking action is possible, such as its work under the GBV-ENV Center and Resilient, Inclusive and Sustainable Environments (RISE) grants challenge. The event also highlighted on-the-ground action and learning from the USAID Resilient Coastal Biodiversity Project in Central America – as well as RISE learning from WildAct Vietnam and the Kenyan Wildlife Conservancy Association. This event was not recorded but you can access WildAct Vietnam’s presentation here.
A silent protest at COP 15 reminded policymakers that a Global Biodiversity Framework must advance rights for environmental defenders. Image via live coverage from Theiva Lingam
Environmental defenders
and the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework 

Around the world, environmental human rights defenders are crucial advocates for nature, but face recrimination and violence to silence their work. Over the last decade, at least 1,733 environmental defenders have been killed. Women defenders face growing threats of gender-based violence. View this event recording to hear from defenders on how the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework can help systematically advance their protection.
Panelists discuss the importance of gender indicators at COP 15 in Montreal. Photo: via Jackie Siles
Gender-responsive indicators and its implication on National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs)

Women have differentiated roles, knowledge, and contributions when it comes to biodiversity and sustainable natural resource use and management – and they also face gender-differentiated risks and negative impacts as well. This event discussed how sex-disaggregating indicators – and promoting a gender-specific target indicator – helps the globe improve its conservation and human rights goals by measuring gender and environmental data. Though the event was not recorded, you can read a brief about CBD gender indicators here.
Did you spot us at COP 27?
Rising to the challenge: 
Driving gender-responsive and inclusive climate actions 

This side event spotlighted progress by global partners across conventions, civil society, and Indigenous women’s leadership towards reducing gender inequality in relation to: socioeconomic inequality and poverty in the context of exclusionary growth; patriarchal, discriminatory, and violent cultural patterns; the sexual division of labor and the unfair social organization of care; and the concentration of power and hierarchical relations in the public sphere. Watch the recording if you missed us or the livestream at COP 27!
Our Climate Future is Female: 
A Progress Report on Implementing U.S. Efforts to Advance Women and Girls’ Climate Action 

At COP26, the United States announced a renewed whole-of-government commitment to promoting gender equity in mitigating and responding to climate change, underscored by the associated climate strategic priority in the U.S. National Gender Strategy. In this session at COP27, local climate leaders and key U.S. Government partners reported on progress in this area – including through an AGENT-supported process to develop a national Climate Change Gender Action Plan in Guatemala – and discuss a vision for the future of sustainable, local, and gender-responsive climate action. 
Indigenous Women’s Insights – Stewarding the Earth:
Advancing Indigenous women’s leadership in climate policy

In November, all along the busy maze of pavilion buildings in Sharm el Sheik, an estimated 45,000 people snaked along corridors hoping to inform crucial discussions surrounding climate policy at the United Nations Framework Climate Change Convention’s 27th Conference of Parties (UNFCCC COP 27). Among these delegations was a group of Indigenous women leaders working to build capacities and train emerging Indigenous women leaders from sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America. Click to read about Neema, Sara, and Asiatou’s introduction to climate policy – and the work of Indigenous women leaders like Lucy and Lola and the AGENT partnership to support them.
Learn. Act. Create change.
The GBV and Environment Linkages Center is hosted by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) under its Advancing Gender in the Environment (AGENT) partnership with USAID. It works to close the knowledge gap on GBV-environment issues while mobilizing learning and forging collaborative action towards ending GBV and securing environmental sustainability.
Cross-sector partnerships.
Pioneering learning.
The Resilient, Inclusive, and Sustainable Environments (RISE) grants challenge identifies and funds evidence-based strategies to address GBV in environment and climate-related programming. Hosted by AGENT under the GBV-ENV Center, RISE aims to build approaches that help close information and knowledge gaps in relation to programming that addresses GBV and environment linkages.
Filling information gaps.
Making the case.
Tailored technical support.
Advancing Gender in the Environment (AGENT) is a collaboration between the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to increase the effectiveness of environment programming through the robust integration of gender considerations, while improving gender equality and women’s empowerment outcomes.
The information provided in this email is not official U.S. Government information and does not represent the views or positions of the U.S. Agency for International Development or the U.S. Government.