MOZAMBIQUEClimate Change and Gender Action Plan*

Climate change adaptation and mitigation relies upon the sustainable use and equitable control of, as well as benefits derived from, natural resources – and all citizens, regardless of their social status or their gender, in all spheres of economic and political life, have a role to play in this critical effort.”

H.E. Alcinda António de Abreu, Minister of Environment, Republic of Mozambique

* The ccGAP:Mz was prepared as an enhancement to the Action Plan of the Gender, Environment and Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan, which was approved by the Council of Ministers in June 2010, and builds upon the principles, objectives, and activities identified therein.

Developed by: Main Partners: Participants:

Date: Contact:

Lorena Aguilar, Cate Owren, Margaux GranatMinistry for Coordination of Environmental Affairs (MICOA), Mozambiqueover 80 participants from government, civil society including women’s organizations, UN, donors, research institutions and other international organizationsAugust 2013 iucngenderoffice@iucn.org; www.genderandenvironment.org

Disaster Risk

ReductionTrain local women in collection of meteorological data and provide appropriate tools for accurate data collection

Coasts and

FisheriesRaise awareness about more efficient processing of products to improve women’s management of natural resources

Mozambique, a country prone to cyclical and increasing natural disasters, has been classified as ‘high risk’ for future effects of climate change – and is already feeling the brunt of impact now. While the country has made great strides in recent years, especially, toward its development goals, and is among the fastest-growing economies in the region, climate change is dramatically threatening to roll back progress made. Coping with and recovering from climate change events detracts significant attention from urgent poverty eradication efforts; meanwhile, climate change shines a spotlight on the need to fight poverty through sustainable natural resource management, as the majority of the population relies on natural resources for their livelihood.

A trailblazer on connecting issues of gender and climate change, Mozambique created the first-ever Environment and Climate Change Strategy and Action plan in early 2010 with UNIFEM (now UN Women) and with the support of the IUCN Global Gender Office. With a National Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation Strategy (ENAMMC) produced in 2012, Mozambique’s Ministry for Coordination of Environmental Affairs (MICOA) invited IUCN to facilitate a process to update and enhance its gender-responsive climate action plan accordingly, bringing its commitment to gender and climate change in line with the priorities presented in the ENAMMC, enriched by innovative activities and ideas from women and local communities.

Overall Objective:To ensure national climate change efforts in Mozambique mainstream gender into policies, programs and strategies so that both men and women have equal access to and opportunities and potential benefits from climate change response, improving the quality of life for the whole of the population

Examples of Proposed Actions in Mozambique

Priority Area Action Involving Women and Advancing Gender Equality

Water Introduce sanitation and water technology in communities with high risk

Agriculture and

Food Security

Update the Gender Strategy of the Ministry of Agriculture to integrate best practices, information and risk scenarios, with gender and climate change issues taken into consideration

HealthProduce Climate Change Health Kits identifying plants by region that have a positive impact for vectors, water quality, and other associated climate health risks, and disseminate to pharmacies

Mitigation•Energy•Forests•REDD+

• Train women on alternative income generation and encourage the use of low carbon technologies to improve women’s income

• Empower women in forestry management leadership roles• Identify existing gender-sensitive benefit-sharing schemes, developing best practices

for women