How the new NDCs can mainstream gender to accelerate climate action

As countries submit new climate plans this year, they have the chance to tap into an underutilised force in the climate fight: women and girls. They are not just among the most climate vulnerable, they’re also powerful agents of change with an equal stake in the energy transition.

The third generation of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC 3.0) can build on progress made in the last round of NDCs to set gender-responsive targets and policies that go beyond recognition to real, actionable commitments. Here’s how and why NDC 3.0 must deliver on this.

NDC 2.0 made progress on gender, but more is needed

Recognition of gender was greatly improved in the last round of NDCs. According to the UNFCCC, 85% of second generation NDCs referenced gender compared to just 29% in first round. Despite this, implementation is a challenge. The UNDP finds that only 23 of the 120 NDCs submitted by Climate Promise supported countries and territories in the last round consider indicators to explicitly track progress on gender, 18 commit to gender-responsive climate budgeting, and 21 commit to include gender in their climate finance strategies.

Finance is critical, as the implementation of gender actions and targets will lag without adequate funding. Many NDCs include a single mention of gender or a commitment to women’s empowerment, but lack accompanying mitigation, adaptation or cross-cutting gender actions or targets. Gender targets in NDCs mostly relate to adaptation, particularly in agriculture, water management and disaster resilience.

How to mainstream gender in NDC 3.0

While some progress has been made, the new NDCs must go further on gender mainstreaming. As well as setting gender-specific sectoral actions and targets, this means considering intersectionality – recognising that gender does not exist in isolation but intersects with other socially marginalised groups, from older people and those living with poverty, to Indigenous Peoples, those with disabilities and LGBTQ+ communities.

Gender-responsive NDCs should:

1. Commit to gender-disaggregated data: robust climate planning requires evidence-based decision-making, yet huge data gaps are hindering gender-informed policymaking. NDCs can help close this gap by committing to or mandating the collection, and reporting of gender-disaggregated data across sectors.
2. Set sectoral gender targets and actions: while adaptation efforts often incorporate gender perspectives, mitigation has lagged. Renewable energy transitions, electric vehicle incentives, and energy efficiency programmes must account for gender gaps in workforce participation and use.
3. Strengthen gender-responsive climate finance: finance is a key enabler of gender equality in climate action. Gender-responsive budgeting should be a requirement for all climate-related funding mechanisms.
4. Promote social protection for climate-impacted communities: climate change exacerbates existing social and economic inequalities. Gender-responsive NDCs should include adaptive social protection mechanisms such as insurance schemes, financial safety nets, and livelihood diversification programmes targeting women, Indigenous groups, and marginalised populations.
5. Engage women and other marginalised groups in decision-making: despite scientific evidence that improving women’s representation in decision making spaces leads to the adoption of stronger climate policies, women are still woefully underrepresented in climate policy decision-making. For example, 27% of climate and environment ministers in the EU are women. Governments can address this imbalance by engaging women’s organisations, grassroots groups, and gender experts and as well providing spaces for female leadership in both the design and implementation of NDCs.

The story so far on NDC 3.0 and gender mainstreaming

Countries are actively working to improve gender mainstreaming in new NDCs. Many have robust gender policies, assessments, strategies and action plans in place that can inform this process. NDCs should align with both national and international gender policies and commitments and communicate a clear intent. And crucially, adequate funds should be allocated to engage gender experts and gender institutions, groups and organisations.

Our experience shows governments are taking a layered approach to gender mainstreaming in NDC 3.0, integrating gender-responsive targets across mitigation and adaptation while leveraging just transition strategies to help ensure the benefits of the transition can be shared by all. But to really drive climate progress, NDCs should recognise women and girls not simply as among the climate vulnerable, but as powerful agents of change, essential to achieving our climate goals. Indigenous women, for example, play a leading role in environmental conservation, and therefore possess invaluable knowledge and expertise that can contribute to strengthening resilience and mitigate greenhouse gas emissions.

What to expect on gender at COP30

At COP29, governments were urged to strengthen gender mainstreaming, with the Lima Work Programme on Gender extended for another decade. Under the programme, a new Gender Action Plan (GAP) is in the works, with discussions kicking off at the UN climate talks in Bonn this June focused on capacity building, gender-responsive policies, and better accountability. A decision on the new GAP should be made at COP30 in Belém, with the potential to significantly advance gender mainstreaming in climate policy and action.

The new NDCs are an opportunity to move beyond rhetoric to meaningful gender-responsive climate action. Lessons from NDC 2.0 highlight the need for stronger implementation frameworks, measurable targets, and institutional accountability. As countries prepare their NDC, they should include tangible, well-funded and enforceable gender actions. A gender-responsive NDC is not just a moral imperative but essential to achieving effective and lasting climate and economic resilience.