The Asian-Pacific Resource and Research Centre for Women (ARROW) partnered with UN Women for this study, which aims to understand the capacity gaps experienced by civil society organizations (CSOs) to advocate for gender mainstreaming in climate change and disaster risk reduction plans, policies and projects in the three pilot countries of Bangladesh, Cambodia and Vietnam. This report, prepared from 2019 to 2021, is part of UN Women’s programme on Strengthening Human Rights and Gender Equality through Climate Change Action and Disaster Risk Reduction (EmPower: Women for Climate-Resilient Societies Project) which is supported by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida).
This report provides a background of gender-differentiated vulnerabilities in the context of climate change and disaster risk reduction, and the importance of CSOs in enhancing resilience of the most vulnerable, including women and girls. It summarizes the results of a primary study done to understand the existing gaps that CSOs experience in advocating for gender mainstreaming in policies and programmes at different levels. Based on the capacity gaps identified, a training manual was prepared, and training of trainers were conducted. During these trainings, a second round of assessment through focus group discussions was done to understand the needs of the CSOs that go beyond capacity gaps or those that cannot be met by trainings alone. These needs and the recommendations based on the needs identified are also presented in this report.
