Analysis of Gender Gaps in Pakistan’s National Climate Change Policy (2021)

The National Climate Change Policy (2021) is a reformed version of Pakistan’s (2012) climate change policy. It meets the growing demands of climate change and global commitments of Pakistan under the Paris Agreement and Sendai Framework. The objective of policy is to achieve low-carbon emission, climate-resilient infrastructure, and water-food-energy security. It has also initiated schemes like the Ten Billion Tree Tsunami, Clean Green Pakistan, shift to 60% clean energy, utilization of 30% electric vehicles by 2030, and extension of protected areas to 15%.

Although the policy recognizes gendered effects of climate change (Section 4.8.2), suggests mainstreaming gender into National Development Committees and developing a Climate Change Gender Action Plan (ccGAP), its gender strategy is superficial [1]. Gender perspectives are not brought to the mainstream in major sectors such as water, agriculture, forestry, transport, or disaster management.

Gaps in the gender-responsiveness of the policy

Gender gaps in agricultural and forestry adaptation strategies

Agricultural adaptation strategies of (Section 4.2) does not specifically offer support such as improved access to credit or land ownership for female farmers, who make up 70% of the agricultural labor force [2] but are provided limited access to credit and land ownership. This limited access prevents women of marginalized groups from borrowing loans or owning land. Capacity building program for farmers is a training process which involves providing them with knowledge, skills as well as support to enhance food production and overcome climate change. However, the policy does not ensure women’s involvement in such programs, which may result in their exclusion due to mobility constraints. Similarly, it requires professional leadership in forestry management but does not ensure women’s participation, who play an important role in managing forests.

Gender barriers in disaster preparedness

Section 4.7 which discusses disaster preparedness mentions evacuation plans for people at risk but fails to consider gender norms that limit women’s freedom of movement during a disaster by not allowing them to go out alone without a male companion. Likewise, there is no discussion of ensuring health care facilities for pregnant women or the mandatory provision of menstrual products in relief packages. This was evident during the catastrophic floods of August 2022, where marginalized sections, including women, were most affected by environmental degradation because of socioeconomic disparities.

Pakistan has not only signed but also ratified many multilateral agreements on climate change e.g. the Kyoto Protocol (1997) and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC 2016). These agreements give rise to an obligation to formulate a gender responsive climate change governance policy.

The relationship between social justice and climate change offers a challenge and a crisis in Pakistan. The latest floods of 2025 in Swat, Hunza and Gilgit also serve as examples of socially constructed gender barriers hampering women’s safety. Millions of people were displaced and many among them were women. These climate-induced impacts excessively affect women who mostly suffer due to socio-economic inequalities if there is no proper mechanism for ensuring their protection under climate policies. Funds collected or ration gathered by government for flood victims did not mandate the provision of menstrual products neither there was an effort to provide separate safe shelters to women victims of the flood nor was there any security forces allotted to ensure that women who were displaced from their homes remained safe from sexual harassment which is prevalent in Pakistan [3].

No integration of women’s safety into sustainable transport plans to achieve climate goals

The government has shown interest in promoting non-motorized transport such as bicycles and electric scooters in order to reduce emissions (Section 5.3) however, it does not take the issue of women’s safety into consideration e.g. the problem of harassment often deters women from using such transport. Similarly, the government has expressed its aim to develop the railway system (Section 5.3) for encouraging trains as an alternative to fuel-burning vehicles, but it has not stated any specific safety measures for women, like separate compartments or the easily accessible helpline numbers for reporting harassment. Lack of safety requirements can discourage the use of railways among women, as train travel is highly unsafe for women in Pakistan. This would ultimately undermine the government’s climate objectives.

No gender quotas in overseas climate education opportunities

The education section describes arrangements for taking students overseas to study climate change (Section 6). However, it does not have gender quotas, which might lead to the exclusion of women in international climate education programs, thus denying them access to critical knowledge and global networks.

Absence of gender disaggregated data and budgeting

There are significant gaps in financial responsibility and data granularity. Evidence-based planning is undermined by the policy’s lack of requirements for gender-disaggregated data collection across climate-related sectors. For instance, health adaptation (Section 4.3) fails to account for the disproportionate impact of vector-borne diseases on pregnant women by proposing disease surveillance without sex-disaggregated health impact evaluations. In the policy measures section, the government aims to gather input from stakeholders in private companies on strategies to reduce the depletion of natural capital. However, these stakeholder surveys are unlikely to reflect gender diverse perspectives, particularly as they are drawn largely from male-dominated companies. A diagnostic of 45 Pakistani companies showed that over half had less than 15% women in their workforce, and 63% had fewer than 5% women in senior roles [4], highlighting the likelihood of male-centered data. In addition, budgeting remains gender blind, as there are no provisions in the Climate Change Fund (Section 6) or international funding sources (Section 9) to track funds for projects targeting women. Without these measures, the climate change sector in Pakistan is at risk of maintaining a gender imbalance. This would also cause exclusion of women from entrepreneurship such as in the renewable energy sector, evident in section 5.1. This section outlines measures for promoting renewable energy but fails to provide guidance on women’s involvement in developing the sector.

Gaps in women’s participation in climate policy

Policy refers to the involvement of women in climate decision making (Section 4.8.2), but does not provide any quotas to ensure that they are actually represented on implementation committees (Section 11). The Provincial Climate Change Committees are supposed to provide guidance on climate action at a local level. It is crucial to involve women in this process so that fair representation of the country’s population can be made in climate action strategies. Furthermore, according to policy federal and provincial committees must have three representatives from civil society to seek public input. However, it does not ask for gender balance in selection of those representatives, consequently, only male representatives have been chosen in most cases. Since 2021, there has been no public information about the identity of representatives. This has raised serious concerns about inclusion of women in climate planning.

The Climate Change Gender Action Plan (ccGAP) is a positive move because it seeks to ensure that climate change policies are more women-friendly. However, the plan is still in its starting stage and has not yet been implemented. Moreover, it was not incorporated into the 2021 climate policy, which indicates that the government is reluctant to implement the plan. Without the ccGAP, women’s voices are still absent from the policies that influence climate change responses.

Recommendations

Adopting gender-responsiveness in the agriculture and forestry department

Pakistan’s irrigation councils, like the Area Water Boards in Punjab and Farmer Organizations elsewhere, are almost entirely run by male landowners [5]. In order to change this, women should be encouraged to participate in these institutions as full members and they must be trained as community water stewards because, in most cases, they are the ones in charge of water at home or small farms. In agriculture, initiatives should provide women small loans, drought-resistant seeds that are affordable and easier terms for land registration so that they can easily register their own land.

It is also crucial that all training sessions, whether farmer field schools or training on new planting methods, have a fixed number of women so that they are not left behind in learning new and improved methods. Women’s leadership is also required in the forestry department. This includes the development of training programs like “Women in Forestry” and their representation in Village Forest Committees.

Ensuring gender-responsive and inclusive disaster management in emergencies

To ease mobility constraints during emergencies, the disaster management plans prepared by the National Disaster Management Authority should comprise culturally appropriate procedures, including gender-separated shelters and evacuation teams composed of female staff members. The heightened risks associated with pregnant women during heat waves and outbreaks of illnesses should be dealt with in the health adaptation section. Moreover, free provision of period products to women should be an integral part of the disaster management strategies to prevent period poverty among affected women. For example, India and Fiji have recognized that women’s menstrual needs must be part of any emergency response. In India, the National Disaster Management Act of 2005 specifically requires that relief kits include menstrual health supplies at every stage of a disaster. Similarly, Fiji’s national WASH Cluster Standards, updated in 2020, mandate that all emergency hygiene packs carry a basic supply of period products so that women and girls are not left without what they need in a crisis. Pakistani women face almost the same extent of discrimination and lack of facilities during natural disasters. Thus, the government should adopt an approach similar to the one prescribed in the disaster management schemes of aforementioned countries.

Promoting women’s safety in transport as a catalyst for climate change

The transportation sector in Pakistan should incorporate anti street harassment policies. It should also make safe infrastructure such as lighted bicycle paths, ensure regular patrolling or CCTV surveillance of the street, build women-only train compartments with female staff, and issue hotlines to report any kind of harassment on trains. By making such transport systems more inclusive and safer for women, the state will be able to cut down its emissions and secure a greener future as more women will be encouraged to use bicycles or trains.

Advancing gender equality in climate education and capacity building

Both climate education and capacity building are necessary for the development of a just and effective response system of climate change. Climate education is necessary for helping young people understand the meaning of climate change, the reasons behind it, and its effects on our planet. Capacity building, on the other hand, provides people, especially those on the frontline, the necessary skills, training, and support required to deal with the issue. However, in Pakistan, women are still excluded from both [6]. Although the climate change policy encompasses the inclusion of women, it does not provide necessary means that will enable them to also share equal opportunities in education and training. The solution should be more proactive, such as providing a 50% quota for women in global climate studies, leadership training, and capacity building.

Schools should also teach students about the adverse effects of climate change on women, allowing them to understand the issue from a young age and helping them prepare ways that will be effective to deal with it. Pakistan will only achieve climate justice if inclusion of women is assured be that in classrooms or climate projects.

Ensuring gender equity in climate finance and policy implementation

Strong monitoring systems can be built if provincial reporting includes gender-disaggregated data for effectively capturing gender-differentiated climate impacts. Survey methods should be revised to encompass the suggestions from women-owned businesses and rural women stakeholders while planning climate finance. A minimum of 30% funding for climate change should be devoted to women-led initiatives, such as solar water pumps operated by women or maternity health facilities upgraded for climate resilience [7]. It is important to note that allocating a minimum of 30% of funding for the Climate Change Fund to women-led initiatives is an important requirement because in most cases, women in rural areas experience the effects of climate change but have little or no access to funding. A participatory review for local communities is an evaluation for local people who are affected by climate change such as flood or drought. It allows them to participate in reviewing projects or policies that could affect them. Women’s participation in such reviews should be assured and they should be adopted together with an open audit process to ensure first-hand verification for funding destinations. Key climatic factors, such as flash floods, landslides, drought, or heatwaves are similar in Nepal and Pakistan due to their geographical proximity. Nepal’s Climate Change Policy ensures gender audit alongside allocating 35% for funding women-led initiatives. Pakistan should also set a fixed percentage of climate finance for gender mainstreaming programs, taking cues from Nepal.

Advancing inclusive leadership opportunities

Pakistan should execute its Climate Change Gender Action Plan (ccGAP) on an urgent basis. A crucial component of this should be the creation of Women’s Climate Resilience Councils at the district level. These councils would be led by women from the community such as local councilors, farmers, teachers, and lady health workers. These bodies should ensure that women’s voices are represented in local climate change plans. They can be mandated to provide advice to district committees and yearly reports to the provincial government.

To effectively support women, we must help them in building skills and confidence necessary to spark change. We should support projects like women-run nurseries to plant trees and introduce programs like the “Climate Smart Farming mentorship”. Through such programs women in rural areas would be trained to learn farming practices that help save water and cultivate harder climate-resistant crops. The government of Pakistan should introduce a gender quota of 30-50% representation in all climate change governing bodies, including the Pakistan Climate Change Council, Pakistan Climate Change Authority, the National Disaster Management Authority as well as in local bodies like the Punjab Environment Protection Department and Sindh Environmental Protection Agency. This step would constitutionally enshrine women’s representation in the national and provincial climate councils. As a result, women’s leadership will become an integral and deliberate component of the system, rather than a secondary consideration [8].

Promoting gender-responsive climate budgeting

To make climate finance fairer and more inclusive, the government should work together with civil society groups and independent experts to set up joint budget tracking programs. These partnerships can help monitor where climate funds are going with a focus on gender; these efforts can highlight if women are being overlooked. One of the practical steps would be the development of equity score cards that will demonstrate the extent to which the ministries are including gender considerations in their climate expenditures. This transparent record can then be used to push for changes in allocation of provincial budgets, for instance, allocating funds for the projects initiated by women. With the information at hand, members of the parliament can push the agenda within the legislature to enact a law that will have the climate plans examined through the lens of gender, not leaving the voice of women behind. Bangladesh, which has the same climate and landscape as Pakistan, has effectively mainstreamed gender-responsive (GRB) budgeting throughout most of its major development programs and adopted a Climate Change Gender Action Plan (ccGAP). A 2024 evaluation of 42 ministries shows that GRB is now a routine part of Bangladesh’s development budgeting, with consistent increases in gender earmarked funds over recent years [9]. This plan not only trains women “climate stewards” to spearhead community resilience initiatives but also allocates 50% of the seats on climate committees to women [10]. This model should serve as an inspiration to Pakistan. Likewise, the Philippines, which has a similarly disaster-prone landscape and faces tropical storms like Pakistan, appropriates at least 5% of each ministry’s budget to Gender and Development (GAD). By comparison, Pakistan’s National Climate Change Policy does not have any strong commitments toward gender inclusion nor does it provide any details about its intended Climate Change Gender Action Plan (ccGAP), due to which implementation remains uncertain and delayed.

Conclusion

The policy identifies gendered vulnerabilities to climate change, although it is not fully compliant with the government’s obligations to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW). This is due to its inability to incorporate women’s active engagement, security, and access to climate finance in its framework. Climate change exacerbates already deep-seated structural inequalities that CEDAW aims to address, especially in the context of health, and free movement of women. The policy treats gender as peripheral concern rather than core governance principle which weakens women rights in climate effectiveness. Lastly, it should be aligned with CEDAW by providing women more than mere symbolic inclusion. Concrete measures which put women at the center of climate resilience efforts should be developed.

Bibliography:  

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