July 2010: The UN Development Programme (UNDP) has released a guidebook titled “Gender, Climate Change, and Community-Based Adaptation,” which aims to ensure that community-based adaptation projects contribute to the achievement of gender equality and women’s empowerment by integrating a gendered perspective into programming and project design.

It provides tools and practical advice for development practitioners, policymakers and community-based organizations on how to take a gender-sensitive approach to planning and implementing adaptation projects and programmes. Gender mainstreaming in community-based adaptation projects supports the sustained participation of both women and men in all project aspects. The Guidebook is divided into five sections: the gender approach in development; the emerging dialogue on gender and community-based adaptation; gender, vulnerability, climate change and disasters, with a focus on women’s vulnerability to climate change; gender dimensions of climate change adaptation, including mainstreaming gender into adaptation projects; and preliminary lessons learned. It presents lessons learned from the UNDP-Global Environment Facility (GEF) Community-Based Adaptation Programme and from the GEF Small Grants Programme’s in over 122 countries. [UNDP Report]