General Recommendation No. 37 (2018) on the Gender-Related Dimensions of Disaster Risk Reduction in the Context of Climate Change

This general recommendation provides guidance to States parties on the implementation of their obligations under the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (the Convention) in relation to disaster risk reduction and climate change. In their reports submitted to the Committee pursuant to article 18, States parties should address general obligations to ensure substantive equality between women and men in all areas of life, as well as the specific guarantees in relation to those rights under the Convention that may be particularly affected by climate change and disasters, including extreme weather events such as floods and hurricanes, as well as slow-onset phenomena, such as the melting of polar ice caps and glaciers, drought and sea-level rise. General recommendation 37 is intended to underscore the urgency of mitigating the adverse effects of climate change and to highlight the steps necessary to achieve gender equality, the realization of which will reinforce the resilience of individuals and communities globally in the context of climate change and disasters. It is also intended to contribute to coherence, accountability and the mutual reinforcement of international agendas on disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation, by focusing on the impacts of climate change and disasters on women’s human rights including the right to live free from gender-based violence against women and girls, rights to education and information, rights to work and social protection, right to health, right to an adequate standard of living, and right to freedom of movement.