COP26: UK Government committing £165m to boost gender equality and climate action

Some £165 million is going towards boosting equality for women and climate action as COP26 talks focus on gender, the Government has said.

Women are more vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, as they form a large majority of the world’s poor, often depend on small-scale farming for their livelihoods and can comprise 80% of those displaced by climate-related disasters.

But addressing inequalities faced by women and girls can help action to tackle climate change, officials said.

Ministers said the £165 million included £45 million to help groups in Asia and the Pacific challenge gender inequalities and adapt to the impacts of climate change.

And £120 million would be used to build resilience to climate change, prevent pollution, protect wildlife, boost renewable energy and manage waste, as well as support women’s leadership, access to finance, education and skills in Bangladesh.

International Trade Secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan said: “It is women, girls and those who are already most marginalised, that will be most severely impacted by climate change.

“But they also have a critical role to play to address the climate crisis.

“The UK is committed to addressing this dual challenge head on, committing new funding to empower communities and women’s groups to take locally-led adaptation action, to build local, national and global resilience.”

At an event at the COP26 talks, featuring Little Amal a 3.5-metre puppet travelling 8,000km in support of refugees, ministers and others will discuss new action to tackle gender issues around climate change, while countries are expected to announce new gender and climate commitments.