Cambodia
Cambodia in a snapshot
Climate change and gender equality in Cambodia
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Cambodia is highly vulnerable to climate change, and its consequences are already experienced by the population, especially the most vulnerable. In recent years, the county has experienced several and repetitive climate-induced disasters such as severe rainfalls and droughts. Information on disaster prediction and preparedness is often not shared with women, which reduces their chances of adaptation and sometimes even survival. Indeed, women take responsibilities to care for their family members including children and the elderly, especially in times of crisis and post-crisis. 80% of women’s livelihoods depend on agriculture, which is particularly vulnerable to climate change, making their situation even more precarious.
While the government policies on climate change in Cambodia have highlighted women’s differentiated vulnerability to climate change, policies on disaster risk reduction seem to lack adequate gender considerations. Given the increasing incidence of climate-induced risks faced by Cambodia, the only efficient way to address those issues is to integrate everyone in the decision-making process on disaster risk reduction, allowing everyone to benefit from them. Women in Cambodia possess vital knowledge of the environment and resource conservation, and are at the perfect position to become positive agents of change. Joining their forces with men will make it easier to develop solutions and to build the overall resilience of communities.
EmPower in Cambodia
EmPower in Cambodia will be implemented from 2019-2022 with the aim to strengthen how climate change and DRR policies and processes can be more gender-responsive. Working with the Ministry of Environment, the Ministry of Women Affairs and the National Committee for Sub-National Democratic Development, the project will focus on four key components- cultivating leadership in civil society and government, improving disaggregated data, strengthening policymaking and supporting women’s entrepreneurship in renewable energy.
Leveraging gender mainstreaming action groups in key ministries, EmPower will work to influence climate and DRR policies. By giving a platform for women’s CSOs, EmPower will promote greater coalition building, collaborative research and targeted capacity building of CSOs in understanding climate impacts on women and men. EmPower will support the National Institute of Statistics to develop guidelines and tools on the use and collection of sex-age-diversity disaggregated data to strengthen gender-related climate data, incorporating them in national surveys.
At the policy level, EmPower will strengthen the gender aspects of critical policies such as the Climate Change Action Plan, Climate Change Strategic Plan and vulnerability assessments, building capacity among policymakers and support existing inter-ministerial dialogues and platforms such as the Gender and Climate Change Committee and the Climate Change Technical Working Group to consider the gender agenda in their decision making
To support women’s entrepreneurship in the renewable energy sector, EmPower will partner with the NCDD-s and organizations such as SHE Investments, Nexus for Development and SNV to implement pilot interventions in Battambang, Pursat, Kampong Spoe, Kampot and Takeo, influencing policy and providing training, mentorship and access to finance for female entrepreneurs to harness renewable energy to improve their lives and livelihoods.
Partners in Cambodia
EmPower in Cambodia collaborates with:
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