The GGEO project

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is the UN system’s authoritative advocate for the environment. It keeps our global environment under regular review and provides governments, policy-makers and other stakeholders with the up-to-date information and knowledge they need to track progress and take informed decisions.

With this founding mandate, UNEP’s Global Environment Outlook (GEO), an integrated environmental assessment with a future-looking approach, provides a comprehensive synthesis and up-to-date analysis about the state and trends of the environment. It is an important way in which UNEP makes available credible, scientific data on the environment, and presents policy-relevant analyses at global and regional scales.

Recognizing the importance of highlighting gender from an environmental perspective, and in response to a call from the Network of Women Ministers and Leaders for the Environment (NWMLE), UNEP made a commitment at Rio+20 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development and the future we want to undertake a ground-breaking global gender and environmental assessment.

UNEP’s governing body welcomed this announcement and the Global Gender and Environment Outlook (GGEO) Critical issues was launched at UNEA-2 in May, 2016.

The GGEO is for the first time provide a comprehensive overview of the linkages between gender and environment in the contexts of SDGs and 2030 Development agenda. It is expected to enable better understanding of the environment through a gender lens, support better integration of gender perspectives in development and implementation of environmental policies at international and national levels, and drive impact through partnerships.

PROVIDE A COMPREHENSIVE, FIT-FOR-USE, COMPENDIUM OF GENDER-RESPONSIVE ENVIRONMENTAL INFORMATION

By providing access to evidence-based global and regional information and data, tools and approaches for governments and other stakeholders, to support integrating gender perspectives into environmental policies, plans and programmes.

ENABLE BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF THE ENVIRONMENT USING A DIFFERENT APPROACH AND A GENDER LENS

By highlighting interactions, linkages and trends, the GGEO assessment will provide a holistic outlook that will validate and raise awareness of the interplay between gender and the environment. Approaching environmental understanding through a gender lens demands new questions, emphasizes different dimensions of human-environment relationships, and requires unique methodological tools and approaches – even changing the frameworks themselves.

LEAD THE WAY FOR MAINSTREAMING GENDER IN ALL ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENTS AND ANALYSES

By highlighting its transformative impact and setting new benchmarks and standards on assessment, analysis and decision-making for the environmental sector and beyond.

DRIVE IMPACT THROUGH PARTNERSHIPS

UNEP will use the assessment’s findings to strengthen capacity and partnerships that will serve as a global platform for future co-operation with key stakeholders. The project will bring together the best expertise on gender and environment from different parts of the world across a wide range of networks that will be engaged in its development, implementation and outreach.