The United Nations 2030 Agenda incorporates two Goals that stand out for their cross-cutting nature and essential role in achieving internationally determined targets: SDG 5 (gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls) and SDG 13 (taking urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts).

The successful achievement of these goals necessarily depends on their intersection. That is, combating climate change simultaneously requires addressing gender inequalities, given that the risks and impacts of climate change exacerbate pre-existing societal inequalities, particularly those related to gender.

Therefore, it is necessary to recognize that men and women experience these impacts differently, and that integrating a gender perspective into climate action aims to correct these imbalances in order to deliver fair, effective, and targeted solutions.

With this perspective and concern in mind, Cape Verde has made ongoing efforts to work on these two objectives in an interconnected way. The country’s Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) integrates a gender perspective, recognizing that the transition to a low-carbon and climate-resilient economy must be inclusive. It highlights that women are key agents in mitigation and adaptation efforts, particularly in sustainable agriculture and renewable energy sectors; it proposes the promotion of capacity-building programs and targeted financing to strengthen women’s participation in the climate sector; and it emphasizes the need for public policies that reduce gender disparities in access to clean technologies and green job opportunities.

To promote this effort, ICIEG — the public institution mandated to integrate gender equality into sectoral policies and plans — signed a protocol with the Climate Action Program. This partnership aims to include the climate component in the country’s Gender Observatory; to conduct a study on the national state of Gender and Climate Change (currently in progress); to carry out awareness-raising and training activities on gender and climate change; and to host a hybrid forum (in-person and online) on Gender and Climate to present the study results and share experiences with other countries.

Additionally, ICIEG participated on March 31, 2025, in the Meeting of the Network of Women Parliamentarians of the Parliamentary Assembly of the CPLP (AP-CPLP). The occasion was used to address the topic of Gender and Climate Change, to raise awareness and engage elected women parliamentarians on the importance of their involvement in decision-making. This is crucial to ensure that public policies related to climate change (such as decrees, laws, and regulations) are formulated and passed with the appropriate inclusion of the gender perspective.

Finally, it is important to highlight that effectively tackling climate change requires a gender-responsive approach that acknowledges the differing vulnerabilities, needs, and capacities of all individuals in our small island state. Integrating this perspective into planning, decision-making, and implementation processes is essential to ensuring more just, equitable, and sustainable solutions. Climate neutrality will only be achieved through social justice — and social justice is only possible when gender inequalities are systematically addressed. Promoting equity in access to resources, information, and participation is both an ethical and strategic imperative. Climate demands action — and that action must be inclusive and balanced.

“The fight against climate change will be more effective when it is also a fight for gender justice.”

Author

Anilsa Gonçalves 

Coordinator of Decision-Making Autonomy at ICIEG