The InsuResilience Global Partnership’s High-Level Consultative Group endorses Declaration on Gender

The High-Level Consultative Group (HLCG), the highest governing body and strategic driver of the InsuResilience Global Partnership (‘the Partnership’), in its latest strategic meeting held on 15 September 2020, endorsed a Declaration on Gender. This declaration highlights the importance of integrating gender-smart solutions within the climate and disaster risk finance framework. The Declaration on Gender consolidates and strengthens voluntary efforts of members of the Partnership, at the highest level, to drive comprehensive gender-responsive approaches in climate and disaster risk finance and insurance (‘CDRFI’) interventions. The objective of this declaration is to address differential impacts of climate change and disaster risks related to women and men in all their diversity, including their specific needs and roles.

The HLCG recognised the increasing need for strengthened adaptation and resilience building mechanisms, especially for those populations most vulnerable to climate shocks, particularly women and children. It is predicted that climate related disasters will push an additional 100 million people into extreme poverty by 2034. However, evidence shows that climate change impacts can often differ among women and men based on pervasive historical and existing inequalities and multidimensional social factors resulting in women and girls being disproportionally affected by disasters.

The Declaration on Gender enhances the Partnership’s Vision 2025 which outlines a six-year workplan setting aspirational and comprehensive resilience targets aimed at raising the ambitions of the global community to strengthen concerted efforts on CDRFI. Apart from ensuring that 500 million poor and vulnerable people in developing countries are covered against disaster and climate shocks by getting access to pre-arranged risk finance and insurance mechanisms by 2025, the Vision 2025 places gender mainstreaming as one of the cross-cutting objectives across all workstreams of the Partnership. Furthermore, it serves to underline the Partnership’s commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), in particular Goal 1, 5 and 10, including the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Enhanced Lima Work Programme on Gender (LWPG) and its Gender Action Plan (GAP) to achieve gender-responsive climate policy and action, and gender balance representation.

With CARE International and Global Affairs Canada championing the topic as co-chairs of the Gender Working Group, the Declaration on Gender will therefore provide a framework for the Partnership to rally and mobilize contributions of its more than 90 members from different sectors to integrate gender dimensions within CDRFI solutions. The Declaration on Gender provides a clear political signal to the international community that members of the Partnership are dedicated to incorporating gender-responsive and -sensitive approaches within their activities.

The Declaration first provides a set of acknowledgements of the importance of gender equitable access to CDRFI and reflects on the differential impact between men, women and children in the wake of a warming environment including the effect of disasters. Secondly, it provides a broad action plan that Partnership members can aspire to support the promotion of gender equality, equity and enhance gender-responsiveness in their activities.

The gender working group, together with the InsuResilience Secretariat, will take steps to reach the goals set out in the Declaration through their continuous engagement. The Centre of Excellence on Gender-Smart Solutions will consolidate efforts taken by the international community.