Conflict, climate change and their mutually reinforcing impact on gender imbalances in the Arab region 2016 - United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia

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Gender, Climate Change and Conflict: Mutually Reinforcing Impact on Gender Imbalances in the Arab Region, 2016 cover

ESCWA Publication: E/ESCWA/ECW/2016/Technical Paper.2


Country: Arab region

Publication Type: Policy briefs

Cluster: Gender Justice, Population and Inclusive Development

Focus Area: Gender equality

Initiatives: Women, peace and security

SDGs: Goal 13: Climate Action

Keywords: Arab countries, Climate change, Development, Gender, Gender equality, Girls, Global warming, Women, Women in armed conflicts, Agriculture, Food security, Gender discrimination, Land, Water

Conflict, climate change and their mutually reinforcing impact on gender imbalances in the Arab region 2016

January 2016

The present policy brief analyses the impacts of conflict and climate change on gender imbalances in the Arab region. It shows how conflict and climate change fortify one another, creating a bidirectional dynamic that aggravates women’s pre-existing vulnerabilities in the region. On the one hand, this policy brief addresses how the consequences of climate change encourage conflict, civic unrest and political upheaval, thus significantly contributing to displacement. On the other hand, it analyses how conflict in the region adds to climate change by compromising environmental resources, such as access to land, agriculture, water and food security.

Within this framework, the policy brief finds that gender inequality in the Arab region makes women more vulnerable to the mutually reinforcing impacts of conflict and climate change. This paper therefore proposes a set of recommendations aimed at environment policymakers to ensure the effective integration of a gender perspective in all stages of the public policy cycle.

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