Building on Vanuatu’s progress towards the Millennium Development Goal 7 (MDG7) target to reduce the number of people without access to safe drinking water by 2015, and progressive national planning towards the Sustainable Development Goal 6 (SDG6), the Vanuatu National Sustainable Development Plan 2016 (NSDP) includes a policy objective (ECO2.2) “Ensure all people have reliable access to safe drinking water and sanitation infrastructure.”

This Environment and Social Impact Assessment and Management Plan have been prepared for The Pacific Community (SPC), to inform the project design of the Green Climate Fund (GCF) Funding Proposal titled: Enhancing Adaptation and Community Resilience by Improving Water Security in Vanuatu. This project will deliver adaptation action for Vanuatu’s water infrastructure and community users and will ensure gender mainstreaming in the paradigmatic shift being proposed

The ambition of this guidebook is to help practitioners and stakeholders integrate gender equality considerations in climate projects and leverage co-benefits between gender equality and climate action for sustainable development. It is divided into three parts: 1) an overview of co-benefits between gender equality and climate action; 2) an introduction to climate finance concepts, sources and instruments, and a discussion of their associated gender dimensions; and 3) a review of mainstreaming methodologies and tools to incorporate gender in climate change projects.

The document contains the Republic of Vanuatu's submission to the Ad-hoc Working Group on the Paris Agreement, specifically on the Annual Focus Area for the Paris Committee on Capacity-building (PCCB). The document contains statements on gender and youth and includes sections about civil society organisations and the Government. It also outlines ways forward and next steps.

Pacific women and girls continue to face significant disadvantages despite Pacific Island Countries (PICs) committing to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), with the exception of Palau and Tonga, Beijing Platform for Action (BPfA), the Revised Pacific Platform for Action on the Advancement of Women and Gender Equality (RPPA), and other relevant regional agreements. Gender inequality and women’s disempowerment are causal factors in why women and girls are disproportionately affected by climate change and disasters.

In 2013, the Government of Vanuatu and UNDP requested technical assistance from the USAID funded Adapt Asia-Pacific Project to support four specialists, including an International Gender Advisor, to prepare the “Adaptation to Climate Change in the Coastal Zone in Vanuatu Project” (VCAP).

This document serves to promote gender balance and improve the participation of women in UNFCCC negotiations and in the representation of Parties in bodies established pursuant to the Convention or the Kyoto Protocol. The Republic of Vanuatu acknowledges the great advancement made by Parties at COP18 on gender by adopting the above mentioned decision stating “Promoting gender balance and improving the participation of women in UNFCCC negotiations and in the representation of Parties in bodies established pursuant to the Convention or the Kyoto Protocol”.

This Report is the result of collaboration between the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID) and the International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group.

As the #1 ranked country for vulnerability on the World Risk Index, the lives of men and women in Vanuatu are constantly threatened by climate change and disasters. Following the most devastating cyclone to ever hit Vanuatu – cyclone Pam in 2015 – and widespread drought as a result of a strong El Nino event throughout 2015 and most of 2016, the impacts are growing ever more severe with climate change predicted to increase the intensity and impacts of such events over time.

The World Humanitarian Summit in 2016 provides a unique opportunity for governments, UN agencies and civil society actors to set an ambitious agenda for empowering women and girls as change agents and leaders in humanitarian action and ensuring gender responsive humanitarian programming. However for these commitments to translate into meaningful action, it is critical to respond to the barriers that currently impact women’s leadership in emergencies, and build upon the existing efforts of women first responders and women-led organisations.

Persons with disabilities include those who have long-term physical, mental, intellectual, or
sensory impairments, which in interaction with various barriers may hinder their full and
effective participation in society on an equal basis with others.5 Disability may be experienced
by people of any age – children, young and older people.

The Government of Vanuatu is committed to leading in the development and implementation of child protection systems to ensure the protection of children from abuse, exploitation, neglect and violence at national, provincial and community level in line with international and national obligations; and through building on positive customary practice.

This published article on women and climate change in Vanuatu.The research and paper by University of Newcastle (UoN) was undertaken as part of the VanKIRAP Gender Equality, Disability and Social Inclusion (GEDSI) work funded by GCF FP035/VanKIRAP project.