The climate change Gender Action Plan: What’s at stake at COP30

The Gender Action Plan (GAP) is a strategy document that ensures climate action works for everyone. The GAP serves as the user manual for integrating gender perspectives across all climate actions. It is a tool to ensure that the policies designed for climate mitigation, adaptation, finance, technology, capacity-building and transparency all serve to boost women’s participation and leadership – not hinder them.

While the first GAP was adopted in 2017, Parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) are due to submit an updated plan at COP30. (This second revision of the GAP is part of the extension of UNFCCC’s Enhanced Lima Work Programme on Gender.) The final document – which should be adopted by consensus – will shape the next decade of global climate action and determine whether gender equality remains at the heart of the UN climate process or slips to the margins.

We’ll get deeper into what the Gender Action Plan means for women and girls. But first, some helpful context.