Women’s Empowerment at the Frontline of Adaptation

Box 6: Priority activities under NAPA for climate change adaptation in Nepal

Promoting Community-based Adaptation through Integrated Management of Agriculture, Water, Forest, and Bio-diversity Sector Building and Enhancing Adaptive Capacity of Vulnerable Communities Through Improved System and Access to Services Related to Agriculture Development Community-based Disaster Management for Facilitating Climate Adaptation

Combined Profile 1

Combined Profile 2

Combined Profile 3 Combined Profile 4 Combined Profile 5 Combined Profile 6 Combined Profile 7 Combined Profile 8

GLOF Monitoring and Disaster Risk Reduction

Forest and Ecosystem Management for Supporting Climate Led Adaptation Innovations

Adapting to Climate Change in Public Health Ecosystem Management for Climate Adaptation

Empowering Vulnerable Communities Through Sustainable Management of Water, Resource and Clean Energy Supply

Promoting Climate Smart Urban Settlements

Combined Profile 9

Source: NAPA 2010 (Government of Nepal 2010a)

Local Adaptation Plan of Action Nepal has also prepared a National Framework for Local Adaptation Plan of Action (LAPA) with the objective of incorporating climate change adaptation actions into local development planning and policy (Government of Nepal 2011c). Initiated in 2010, the LAPA was also prepared through extensive stakeholder consultations and approved in November 2011. The LAPA framework ensures that the process of integrating climate change resilience from local-to-national planning is bottom-up, inclusive, responsive, and flexible. It provides a means of implementing the NAPA and integrating adaptation options into development policy and planning processes and is in line with Nepal’s Climate Change Policy 2011. The LAPA identifies local adaptation needs that focus, among other things, on reducing local climate risks and vulnerabilities, and increasing resilience through seven steps. The LAPA has been piloted in 10 districts of Nepal to promote and ensure people’s participation and ownership by involving climate vulnerable communities in adaptation activities. The LAPA framework promises to be inclusive, comprehensive and, more importantly, community centric – both in terms of its process and content – and makes a major contribution to closing the gaps left by the NAPA. However, the LAPA does not contain a gender component. REDD Readiness Preparedness Proposal The REDD-Readiness Preparedness Proposal (REDD-RPP) makes 57 references to women, and states, as a principle, that gender and equity concerns will be mainstreamed at all levels. It also states that special attention will be paid to ensure the full and effective participation of women and other marginalized groups in the REDD readiness process and to make their voices heard. Women and representatives of different marginalized groups including indigenous people, Dalits, sukumbasi (landless), and poor forest-dependent communities will be invited to participate in all decision-making forums during the REDD readiness preparation process. However, in a joint assessment case study conducted by Women Organizing for Change in Agriculture and Natural Resource Management (WOCAN) and the Himalayan Grassroots Women’s Natural Resource Management Association (HIMAWANTI) Nepal in July 2012, women’s representation and participation in the institutional structure of REDD+ governance, both at the national and district levels were found to be insignificant, in fact less than 10% (Uprety et al. 2012). The assessment also highlighted that benefit sharing of REDD+ initiatives would not be beneficial to women if they are not equal participants in the decision making processes. The assessment also highlighted opportunities to capitalize on existing strengths to address women’s marginalization in the REDD+

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