The UNFCCC secretariat joins this year's celebrations of International Women's Day on 8 March by highlighting women's inspiring actions and the importance of gender equality for addressing climate change. The theme of this year's International Women's Day 'Equality for women is progress for all' is particularly pertinent when it comes to climate action. Read the message from the Executive Secretary here.

At the UN Climate Change Conference in Doha, Qatar, in 2012, Parties to the Convention committed to promoting gender balance and improving the participation of women in UNFCCC negotiations and in the representation of Parties in bodies established under the Convention or the Kyoto Protocol by adopting decision 23/CP.18, which became known as the 'Doha miracle'. Read more on what has happened since then here.

The UNFCCC Women and Gender constituency, the Global Gender and Climate Alliance, UN Women and the Mary Robinson Foundation - Climate Justice have been a driving force for advocating gender-sensitive climate policies and capacity-building activities to promote the greater participation of women in the UNFCCC process.

The member organizations of the UNFCCC Women and Gender constituency represent several hundred grassroots groups, national and international organizations and networks. The constituency seeks to represent women's voices, experiences, preferences, needs and capacities, and works towards equal representation within Parties and observer organizations to the UNFCCC and the incorporation of gender dimensions and human rights into UNFCCC negotiations for gender-sensitive climate policies all levels.

The tremendous scope and importance of linkages between gender and climate change has been captured in a wide range of resource materials, many of which are available on UN Women's new 'Knowledge Gateway for Women's Economic Empowerment'.

Young women and climate change
Read the statements by the focal points of the UNFCCC observer constituency of youth non-governmental organizations (YOUNGO) on the occasion of International Women's Day 2014 here.

Mary Robinson calls for closing the 'gender gap' in agriculture on the occasion of International Women's Day 2014
H.E. Mary Robinson, former President of Ireland and Chair of the Mary Robinson Foundation - Climate Justice, highlighted in her keynote speech the impacts of climate change on agriculture and how responses need to be gender sensitive. Read her speech here. 

Progress on a gender-sensitive approach for the Green Climate
The governing instrument for the Green Climate Fund (GCF) stipulates that the Fund will strive to maximize the impact of its funding for adaptation and mitigation, seeking a balance between the two, while taking a gender-sensitive approach. At its last meeting in February, the GCF Board made substantive progress on how to ensure a gender-sensitive approach by agreeing to consider a gender action plan for the GCF at its upcoming meeting in May and mainstreaming gender considerations in all its decisions on the operationalization of the GCF.

FAO organizes Gender and Climate-Smart Agriculture Learning Event
In February, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) successfully organized a learning event on why gender matters when enhancing food security and increasing the uptake of climate-smart agriculture practices. A broad range of tools that can help gather information on gender and advance gender mainstreaming in agriculture have been introduced and made available online.

Findings of the event include case studies of gender-sensitive climate-smart agriculture practices and information on what kind of climate-smart policies, financing structures and practices are needed for more equality in the agriculture sector. Read more here

3rd Regional Workshop on Gender, Climate Change, Land and Forest Tenures in Africa
In commemoration of International Women's Day 2014 African Women's Network for Community Management of Forests, the Foundation for Community Initiatives, and the Rights and Resources Initiative are holding the Third Regional Workshop on 'Gender, Climate Change, Land and Forest Tenures in Africa' in Monrovia, Liberia from 4-6 March.

The workshop will bring together more than 50 participants from 16 African countries along with donors, development partners, and issue experts. After the conference, on 8 March, a rally and parade including over 150 women from across the Liberian countryside will be greeted by Liberian President Sirleaf, who will receive the outcomes from the conference.