Barriers keeping women from top tables at UN climate talks

Key findings

• 43% of respondents said that while their country had progressive policies on women’s representation, they had not boosted numbers of women in UNFCCC delegations. This was because national criteria and quotas were not applied to participation in international forums
• 62% of those surveyed said their governments did not provide money to attend UNFCCC meetings. A number of respondents noted their countries relied on external funding to support participation
• More than half of respondents (53%) said they believed women had the skills and knowledge to contribute to UNFCCC negotiations. However, their answers suggested women simply were not being nominated despite their qualifications
• Only 5% of those questioned said access to UNFCCC processes was gender-neutral, indicating that provisions for the needs of female negotiators – such as childcare – were lacking
• Survey responses indicated patriarchal attitudes and male-dominated decision-making were significant hurdles for women. One male interviewee expressed a belief that women may be put off attending COP “because it’s so busy going from meeting room to meeting room with the type of shoes [they] put on. It’s hectic”.
• Asked whether they thought financial support from the UNFCCC or civil society groups for women’s participation in negotiation processes was readily accessible, 43% of respondents answered “no”, 32% were not aware such funds were available, and only 14% answered “yes”

Tracy Kajumba, lead author of the paper, said: “This problem is not unique to the least developed countries. Little more than a third of delegates at COP29 were women, and only eight of the 78 world leaders who took part. However, our research does suggest women in LDCs face unique hurdles like raising money to attend COP as well as familiar social problems like sexism.

“Attending COPs or preparatory meetings in Germany is an expensive business for low-income governments and individuals often have to secure outside funding themselves. A lack of financial support for women’s training and travel came through strongly in our survey and interviews.

“The gender stereotypes and assumptions held by men in positions of power also serve to exclude women, attributing their lack of participation to family obligations or supposed frailties. Further, the absence of specific selection criteria means patronage and influence can sway decisions on who joins negotiating teams.”