UN Women unveils peace & climate guide for Asia-Pacific
The launch of the UN Women Guidance Note: Integrating Climate Change into National Action Plans for Women, Peace and Security (WPS) – In Focus Asia and the Pacific on June 3, 2025, marks a pivotal advancement in addressing the complex intersections of climate change, gender, peace, and security. This comprehensive resource, developed with support from Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), provides practical tools and insights for policymakers, women’s organizations, and peacebuilding stakeholders to embed climate considerations within WPS frameworks. While its primary focus is on Asia and the Pacific, the Guidance Note’s relevance extends globally, reflecting the universal challenges posed by climate change and the critical role of women’s leadership in peace and security.
The significance of the guidance note: Bridging climate, peace, and security through WPS
The Guidance Note is the first of its kind to systematically address the linkages between climate change and peace and security within the WPS agenda. It recognizes that climate change acts as a threat multiplier, exacerbating socio-economic inequalities, resource scarcity, and conflict risks, disproportionately impacting women due to entrenched gender inequalities and harmful social norms. Women’s traditional responsibilities for household food security, water, and nutrition render them particularly vulnerable to climate shocks, while climate-induced displacement intensifies social tensions and heightens risks of violence, including gender-based violence.
By integrating gender perspectives into climate resilience and conflict prevention strategies, the Guidance Note underscores the importance of recognizing women not only as vulnerable populations but as natural resource stewards and community caretakers whose leadership is vital for sustainable solutions. Gender-responsive climate policies are urged to prioritize women’s needs and participation, enhance their adaptive capacities through access to resources and technology, and secure protection and livelihood opportunities, especially for displaced women and girls.
Expert perspectives and endorsements
Several key figures highlighted the transformative potential of the Guidance Note during its launch:
Dirk Platzen (DFAT) emphasized its practical utility:
“This Guidance Note is going to prove very useful for practitioners, governments and NGOs dealing with integrating climate change into women, peace and security activities, particularly into National Action Plans.”
Christine Arab (UN Women Regional Director, Asia and the Pacific) framed climate change as both a challenge and an opportunity:
“While climate change is disruptive, it also gives us the chance to rethink peace and security, to invest in resilience, and to put women’s leadership at the heart of inclusive and sustainable solutions.”
Lukas Rüttinger (Adelphi Senior Advisor) stressed the need for localized, intersectional approaches:
“Working closely with local stakeholders to ensure assessments consider gender and intersectionality, as climate security dynamics vary widely between and within countries.”
Sharon Bhagwan-Rolls (Pacific Women Mediators Network Coordinator) highlighted the integration of gender and climate justice:
“We’re weaving together gender justice and climate justice, focusing on much-needed institutional reform.”
Japhet W.G. Eichel (UN Women Climate, Peace and Security Specialist) affirmed the importance of embedding women’s leadership:
“Embedding women’s leadership into WPS National Action Plans strengthens the path towards more inclusive, sustainable peace.”
These statements collectively emphasize the Guidance Note’s role in fostering inclusive, context-sensitive, and sustainable peacebuilding and climate resilience.
Practical approaches and methodologies
The Guidance Note advocates for the use of collaborative, locally grounded research methodologies, such as Adelphi’s weathering risk approach, to assess climate-related security risks. This methodology incorporates gender and intersectionality to capture the nuanced ways climate impacts and conflict risks manifest across different communities.
It promotes gender mainstreaming in climate security initiatives, encouraging women’s representation and leadership in decision-making bodies related to climate adaptation, disaster risk reduction, and peacebuilding. The WPS agenda is presented as a non-securitized, inclusive framework that prioritizes local leadership and gender-responsive climate action, contrasting with traditional security-focused approaches.
Supporting women mediators and peacebuilders is identified as critical, as their collaborative and inclusive approaches foster conflict resolution and resilience in climate-affected contexts. The Guidance Note also encourages partnerships between climate security and WPS programs to leverage resources and expertise effectively.
Regional best practices and case studies
The Guidance Note highlights the Philippines as a leading example of integrating climate change into National Action Plans on WPS. The country’s experience demonstrates practical pathways for embedding gender and climate considerations into peace and security policies, offering valuable lessons for other nations.
In the Pacific region, women-led peacebuilding and activism have long combined gender justice with climate justice, emphasizing the need for institutional reforms to support these intertwined agendas. The region’s experience illustrates the power of grassroots leadership and regional cooperation in addressing climate-security challenges.
UN Women’s Regional Framework Towards Inclusive and Peaceful Societies (2023-2027), developed in partnership with Australia and the Republic of Korea, includes strategies addressing climate security and governance challenges in Asia-Pacific, reinforcing the Guidance Note’s recommendations.
Broader context and global initiatives
The intersection of gender, climate, and security is increasingly recognized as critical for achieving sustainable peace and development. Reports from UNEP, UN Women, UNDP, and the UN Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs (UNDPPA) emphasize women’s vital roles on the frontlines of climate action, conflict prevention, and inclusive peacebuilding.
UN Women actively supports women peacebuilders’ participation in international climate dialogues, including COP28, to highlight the synergies between gender equality, peacebuilding, and climate action. These efforts contribute to global policy coherence and the mainstreaming of gender-responsive climate security approaches.
Conclusion: Towards inclusive, resilient, and sustainable peace
The UN Women Guidance Note on integrating climate change into Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) National Action Plans is a transformative and timely resource that addresses some of the most pressing challenges of our era. By explicitly linking climate change with peace and security through a gender-responsive lens, the Guidance Note provides an innovative framework that recognizes the complex and interconnected nature of these global issues. It underscores the vital role of women’s leadership in building resilient communities that can effectively respond to the escalating impacts of climate change, while simultaneously addressing conflict and insecurity.
Central to the Guidance Note’s approach is its strong emphasis on local context and intersectionality. It acknowledges that climate and security risks do not affect all communities equally, and that gender, socio-economic status, ethnicity, and other factors shape vulnerability and resilience in diverse ways. By advocating for policies and programs that are tailored to these nuanced realities, the Guidance Note ensures that interventions are not only effective but also equitable and inclusive. This focus on collaboration—engaging local stakeholders, governments, civil society, and women’s organizations—further strengthens the potential for sustainable and meaningful change.
As climate change continues to intensify and peacebuilding efforts face evolving challenges, the Guidance Note equips policymakers, practitioners, and civil society actors with practical tools and methodologies to integrate gender-responsive climate action into peace and security frameworks. This integration is crucial for fostering durable solutions that promote social cohesion, reduce conflict risks, and empower women as agents of change.
Ultimately, this Guidance Note represents a vital step forward in advancing inclusive, resilient, and sustainable peace. By centering women’s leadership and embedding gender equality into climate and security policies, it lays the foundation for a safer, more just, and sustainable future for all communities facing the intertwined crises of climate change and conflict.
