In the 2023 Workshop of the WLRI, the main topics of discussion were based on reducing systemic inequalities.

Factsheet on Women’s Land Rights and the Rio Conventions

"Rio Conventions Gender Action Plans & COP Decisions" refers to the strategic frameworks and decisions formulated within the context of the Rio Conventions, namely the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), and the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD).

Parties to all three Rio conventions – the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), and UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) – have committed to take an operational and forward-looking approach to becoming more gender responsive in the design and implementation of measures to achieve their respective goals and targets.

The Gender Action Plans (GAPs) associated with the Rio Conventions outline specific measures to address gender inequalities and ensure women's meaningful participation in decision-making processes related to climate change, biodiversity conservation, and land degradation measures. These plans recognise the importance of empowering women, acknowledging their unique knowledge and perspectives, and promoting their active participation in governing the implementation of measures to reach the targets.

The Conference of the Parties (COP) refers to the meetings held under each of the Rio Conventions where member countries meet to discuss progress, negotiate agreements and make decisions on various issues related to environmental protection. These decisions often emphasise the need for gender-sensitive approaches, recognition of rights, capacity building and enhanced cooperation to effectively address the intersecting challenges of environmental sustainability and gender inequality.

You can find an overview of relevant decisions and GAPs in this document: Final_Handbook_for_Website_Blog.pdf

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The Workshop

All three Rio Conventions have set themselves ambitious land-based targets for climate change action, biodiversity protection and against land degradation to achieve within the next few decades or even years. Land presents a common thread to all three Conventions, inextricably linking them. At the same time, commitments to gender responsiveness and the recognition of rights across the Conventions present unique gateways for enhancing the operationalisation of land-based commitments and provide the opportunity for synergies. These synergies, once identified and leveraged, could significantly advance the realisation of women’s land rights into the implementation of the Rio Conventions.

This is especially relevant as member states and other stakeholders to the Rio Conventions move to

revise and align their National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs) with the Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF).
update their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) to enhance climate change mitigation and adaptation.
strengthen their Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) plans and targets considering their coherence and complementarity with the GBF targets and updated NDCs.
develop gender responsive policies, programmes, and projects to ensure that the progressive realization of women’s land rights is an integral part of biodiversity conservation, climate change mitigation and adaptation, and land degradation neutrality targets.
operationalise key narratives and strategic guidance documents, such as those produced by the EMG IMG on human rights and the environment, to integrate the human right to a healthy environment

The question we ask is: What approaches, strategies and concrete actions can we identify that allow us to leverage synergies for advancing women’s land rights across the Rio Conventions?

Objective

The objectives of the workshop are to: