Do you want to find out why promoting gender equality and women's empowerment can help deliver better environmental outcomes?
If so, here is the first of its kind online course available for you across 125 countries.
The Global Environment Facility (GEF), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the GEF Small Grants Programme (SGP) on Monday jointly launched the first open online course on gender and environment at the sixth GEF Assembly taking place this Vietnamese city.
The course is the result of an initiative led by the GEF and SGP, in collaboration with the GEF Gender Partnership and the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), the GEF said in a statement.
The course will help one better understand the linkages between gender and the environment. It will provide one with the knowledge and tools to mainstream gender, and to be an effective change-maker for sustainable development.
It will also provide facts and figures, and a better understanding of the global international frameworks related to gender and environment.
It is a "one-stop-shop" for information and illustrations on gender dimensions linked to biodiversity, climate change, land degradation, international waters, and chemicals and waste.
"The gender and environment e-course is the first of its kind and it will be a valuable resource for the environmental community in its efforts to be more gender responsive," GEF Director of Strategy and Operations Francoise Clottes said.
This course will not only help raise awareness and build capacity to implement GEF's new policy on gender equality but also help catalyze actions that have the potential to materialize greater environmental impact through gender-responsive approaches and result, Clottes said.
By providing examples and data, the e-course demonstrates the linkages between gender equality and environmental sustainability, and shows how gender-responsive policies and projects support environmental outcomes.
The e-course is structured around six modules -- an introductory module and five modules on gender dimensions linked to biodiversity, climate change, land degradation, international waters, and chemicals and waste.
"The UNDP recognizes the transformative potential of gender equality to advance environmental sustainability. The course is an exciting opportunity to broaden understanding of the important links between gender and environment and offers practical tools, evidence and examples to mainstream gender in key environmental sectors," UNDP Global Environmental Finance Executive Coordinator said Adriana Dinu said.
It is interactive format and user-friendly interface make this new learning tool ideal for people working on environmental issues that would like to improve their understanding of the relation between gender and environment and their ability to address gender in key environmental sectors.
By the end of the course, participants will gain the knowledge and tools necessary to mainstream gender in environmental projects and programmes.
The e-course is open to the public without charge and is intended to be self-paced.
(Vishal Gulati is in Da Nang for the Internews' Earth Journalism Network Biodiversity Fellowship Programme at the Sixth Global Environment Facility (GEF) Assembly. He can be reached at vishal.g@ians.in)
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