7.4. Challenges and Gaps CASE STUDIES ............................................................................................................................................................................................. 258

7.4. Challenges and Gaps

Although there were notable achievements during the AWD, some gaps and challenges remain. The majority of actions taken concerned the impacts of climate change and the resulting environmental challenges; few countries implemented legislative or constitutional reform. Where climate and environmental legislation exists, the links between gender, climate and environment are often not made or very weak. Many laws related to climate change and the environment do not include gender provisions or address the needs and challenges of women and other marginalised groups. Moreover, the implementation of legislative frameworks on the environment and climate change in many countries is weak.

A second gap observed is that many countries have not yet adopted and implemented NAPs, ccGAPs or other climate and environmental policies. Among countries where policies on climate and environment exist, these are often genderneutral. Policies, programmes and initiatives that are gender-neutral are, inherently, discriminatory, as they fail to recognise the different ways women and men experience climate change, as well as how they adapt and respond.2061 In other policies, gender is included as a cross-cutting issue, thus they fail to adequately take into account the differing impact of climate change on women and to reflect their needs. While climate policies can both advance women’s empowerment and gender equality and lead to the implementation of effective strategies on climate adaptation and mitigation, a gender perspective is often lacking. In many countries, there is an implementation gap between genderequitable climate policies and gender-equitable climate actions on the ground.2062

Although some adopted policies and strategies include plans to increase women’s participation in decision-making, women remain marginalised in the implementation of mitigating and adaptation processes. Even though they are the most affected by the impacts of climate change, women are poorly represented in decision-making. As a result, women cannot equally contribute to addressing the challenges, and policies and initiatives do not consider their perspectives, knowledge and needs. This lack of equal representation and participation is explained partly by strongly held social and cultural beliefs, attitudes, rules and practices, which perpetuate unequal power relations between men and women.2063 In some cases, introducing gender equality into the debate on climate change and the environment is mistaken as supporting women only and as cultural interference.2064

Moreover, inequalities, such as poverty and lack of access to resources and information, increase women’s vulnerability to the impacts of climate change as well as exacerbating gender gaps. Women often do not benefit from funding and other financial resources and face considerable challenges in securing their livelihoods.

Conflict poses a significant challenge to the adoption and implementation of climate adaptation and mitigation policies across Africa. The relationship between climate change, migration and conflict is complex and multi-layered.2065 In the Sahel, for example, political instability has been a growing concern, and this has been compounded by humanitarian crises and militant and terrorist violence.2066 Meanwhile, warmer and dryer weather dramatically reduces access to water and foraging resources.2067 As a result, many flee to neighbouring countries, thus adding to the stress on resources and increasing competition between groups, such as herders and farmers. For women, this is a particular challenge. A sustained ecosystem is a source of livelihoods and provides food security for many women.