IUCN Principle on Gender Equality and Women Empowerment

This Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment Policy reaffirms and further strengthens IUCN’s commitment to realising gender equality and women’s rights and empowerment and puts into place requirements for embedding a gender-responsive approach into its Programme and project portfolio. Another publication Gender equality for greener and bluer futures: why women’s leadership matters for realising environmental goals includes new IUCN data on the number of women leading environmental ministries, compared with previous data. It also highlights data on why gender equality and women’s empowerment are essential for global goals on achieving an inclusive and sustainable future.

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EDGE of Existence programme

A capacity building programme to support emerging leaders spearhead conservation action for the most unique, extraordinary, and overlooked species on Earth (can indicate for same targets as CLP)

Gender and IWT toolkit

This toolkit provides practical guidance on gender integration in illegal wildlife trade. It details a step-by-step approach to conduct and integrate gender analysis into IWT work. You can work through the toolkit at your own pace, completing each step to move to the next. You can refer to this website or the full report at any time.

Conservation Leadership Programme (CLP)

CLP is an international capacity building programme that supports young conservationists in to undertake applied biodiversity projects. Each year, CLP calls for project applications in low- and middle-income countries and some high-income islands in the Caribbean and Pacific. Funding is awarded to teams of early-career conservationists to conduct scientific research, promote pro-conservation attitudes, and deliver tangible results to conserve and manage biodiversity.

There are three grant levels. Starting with a Future Conservationist Award, teams are supported to undertake small-scale research and awareness-raising projects. Then through Follow-up and Leadership awards, teams can implement larger projects over a longer period of time and implement deliver practical solutions while learning more complex decision-making, communication, and leadership skills. As part of the award, winning teams can access expertise from within the partner organisations and via our global Alumni Network, which includes past award-winners.

Programme staff members are also available to advise on project implementation, including guidance required during the planning and team training stages. Each year CLP runs a two-week Conservation Management & Leadership Course for recent award winners. CLP is a partnership of three leading biodiversity conservation organisations, BirdLife International, Fauna & Flora International, and Wildlife Conservation Society.

Zoological Society of London — EDGE Fellowships

One of the most effective ways in which we work to secure the future of EDGE species is by strengthening, supporting, and diversifying conservation leadership. The EDGE Fellowship is a 28-month fellowship for local early-career conservationists from lower- and middle-income countries. We equip these emerging conservation leaders—EDGE Fellows—with the knowledge, skills, and opportunities required to advance their careers and spearhead effective conservation efforts for the world’s most unique and extraordinary species.

Each fellowship involves a comprehensive programme of support and professional development opportunities comprising:

Six weeks of training in person: A four-week Conservation Tools Course in the focal region and an advanced two-week Conservation Impact Course in the UK, plus access to additional online training;
A grant of at least £10,000 for project implementation: The opportunity to fully manage your own budget plus dedicated support to leverage additional funding; and
Continuous mentorship and access to training and coaching opportunities with ZSL and our partners: Wrap around mentorship and access to unique training and coaching opportunities with ZSL and our partners.

You may be eligible for an EDGE Fellowship if your work focuses on an EDGE species included on the 2024 curated list, you are an early career conservationist with less than ten years of paid experience, and you are a national of the country where the proposed focal species occurs.

IUCN Climate Change Gender Action Plan

Climate Change Gender Action Plans (ccGAPs) build on a country’s national development and climate change policy or strategy, and identify gender-specific issues in each priority sector. The participatory, multi-stakeholder methodology includes creating action plans to enhance mitigation and resilience for women and men throughout the country.

Having developed the world’s first gender-responsive national strategies and roadmaps on climate change, IUCN has published its CGAP methodology and approach, containing GAPs from around the world, detailed case studies, roadmaps and more. As the title suggests, implementation of international agreements in individual countries is an art, not a science. There are diverse factors and challenges at play, including political will, adequate finance, and complex governance arrangements. The art of implementation is a journey toward the realisation of important ideas, a bridging of the gap between our aspirations and our achievements, and a continuous learning curve.

ASAP Women in Conservation Leadership Programme

The IUCN SSC Asian Species Action Partnership (ASAP) is a partnership platform with the mission of halting species extinctions in Southeast Asia. In 2021 we launched the ASAP Women in Conservation Leadership Programme.

Whilst the inclusion, active participation, and voice of women is linked with improved conservation outcomes, women in conservation often face gender related work place challenges. Gender bias and harassment can negatively impact confidence, erode an individual’s ability to reach their full potential, and block or hinder career advancement and entry into senior positions. We believe that tackling these challenges and empowering women conservationists in this region is critical for long-term, sustainable and successful conservation of ASAP species.

Through the ASAP Women in Conservation Leadership Programme, we are providing opportunities for shared learning and knowledge with targeted training to strengthen leadership skills. The ASAP programme provides opportunities for experienced and aspiring women conservation managers and leaders. Enhanced leadership qualities can help shift organisational mindsets and question traditional hierarchical structures, and ultimately leads to more effective work and greater impact on the ground.

The programme brings together participants from across the region, and is providing opportunities for structured learning alongside peer-to-peer learning and networking, providing a support mechanism beyond the leadership programme. We also work with each individual to help champion and support their work.

Gender Action Plan

At their twelfth meeting held in October 2014, the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) welcomed the 2015-2020 Gender Plan of Action prepared by the Secretariat. The plan updates the 2008 Gender Plan of Action under the Convention, to align with the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020 and its Aichi Biodiversity Targets. This plan includes possible actions for Parties to undertake in implementing the Convention, as well as a framework of actions for the Secretariat to integrate gender into its work. Parties are requested to report on actions undertaken to implement the Gender Plan of Action.

Four Strategic Objectives are key for integrating gender in the implementation of the Convention:

Integrate a gender perspective
Promote gender equality
Demonstrate the benefits of integrating gender
Increase the effectiveness of implementation efforts

CBD Gender and Biodiversity Tools and Guidelines

Gender considerations are relevant to the achievement of the objectives of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) in multi-faceted ways. Pervasive inequalities shape policies, plans, actions, values, and attitudes related to the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity resources, and can be an influential factor in decision-making around access and the sharing of benefits derived. The 2015-2020 Gender Plan of Action provides a mandate to address gender considerations, emphasizing the importance of compiling knowledge and building capacity to identify the impact of conservation and sustainable use policies and programs on relations between men and women and to reduce gender inequalities.