LocationsWhy we need gender-responsive climate finance
Investing in inclusion
March 9, 2026
Across Asia and the Pacific, change acts as a "threat multiplier," deepening pre-existing inequalities and disproportionately impacting women during disasters. A combination of restricted mobility, heavy unpaid care burdens, and limited access to land and credit undermines their ability to cope with climate shocks, directly impacting their long-term health and safety. The UN estimates that under a worst‑case climate scenario, by 2050 236 million more women could face hunger— over 100 million more than men.
The economic toll is equally severe. In rural Bangladesh, for example, women-headed households spend up to 30% of their total expenditure on climate risk reduction—double the average for all other households. Despite having lower incomes and fewer assets to fall back on, they absorb deeper losses.
Climate adaptation through crop diversification in Wakatobi, Indonesia.
UNDP Indonesia
The inclusion dividend: Why invest in gender?
Closing this gap is more than social justice; it is a prerequisite for regional economic stability. UN Women estimates that climate shocks could push an additional 158 million women and girls into extreme poverty by 2050. Within that figure is a "gender gap" of 16 million more women than men—a difference roughly equal to the entire population of Cambodia.
Climate finance can be a catalyst to change this trajectory. When investments reflect women’s realities, they reach more people, strengthen communities and households, and deliver solutions that last.
Investments to protect countries from climate change can also generate jobs and income. Closing gender gaps in farm productivity and wages alone could raise global GDP by 1 per cent (nearly $1 trillion) global GDP by nearly $1 trillion and reduce food insecurity for 45 million people.
Developing climate resilient livelihoods in the vulnerable watershed of Nepal
Rabik Upadhyay/UNDP Nepal
From theory to impact
The UNDP Climate Finance Network is driving this effort in Asia-Pacific, focusing on gender-responsive finance to deliver a clear inclusion dividend for communities across the region. How are we doing it?
- Systemic reform and public financial management. In Indonesia, Nepal, and Sri Lanka, UNDP is helping governments use budget tagging to track exactly how climate investments reach those most at risk. This is matched by efforts in Thailand, where community-level data from regions like Pattani ensures local budgets reflect the realities of women and youth, and in Bangladesh, where UNDP is working with the Central Bank to design financial products and services using climate vulnerability data for households and women focused businesses in climate hotspots. In Bangladesh, we are also working with the securities commission and corporate issuers to issue green and social bonds.
- Resilient infrastructure and safety nets. In the Pacific, over 180,000 islanders have gained sustainable access to water, schools, and markets through projects that prioritized women’s usage patterns in the design phase. Similarly, in Tonga, the Climate Change Trust Fund has already translated policy into action, approving 35 local projects worth USD 2.3 million in its first year to strengthen community-wide safety nets. In three countries – Bangladesh, Cambodia and Fiji, we are working to embed financial services– savings, parametric insurance, credit and behavior change - in their respective national programmes to build financial resilience of households most at risk.
- Unlocking green markets. When financial instruments intentionally factor in women’s realities —how they work, what they need, and what gets in their way—green markets become more accessible. In Malaysia, we supported guarantee schemes for women-led farmer collectives to de-risk their work and attract private investment. This economic focus extends to Nepal, where women-led forest groups are building value chains in biochar and carbon markets, and to Bangladesh, where targeted support for 100 climate-smart small businesses for women is directly benefiting 500 individuals in high-risk areas.
Through the Gender and Climate Finance Collective (GCFC)— with UN Women and UNEP—we bring together partners to expand gender-responsive and inclusive climate-finance solutions in the region and beyond.
CFN, thus, is helping partners take practical steps—better targeting, clearer data, more accessible processes and decisions shaped by those facing the highest risks.
Moving forward with intent
The theme for the International Women’s Day 2026, “Rights. Justice. Action. For ALL Women and Girls” is a reminder that for a resilient future, we need to ground the global commitments and high-level frameworks; and have financial systems that work for everyone. By prioritizing the rights and leadership of women in climate finance, UNDP is building the foundation for more effective and lasting climate action.
This is blog is part of a series of climate finance explainers designed to turn technical jargon into a shared language for action. Our goal is to make the complex systems behind sustainable development understandable and accessible for everyone. Read the first blog "How to make climate action the best investment in Asia-Pacific".
This initiative is supported by the UNDP Climate Finance Network (CFN), a flagship initiative supporting Asia-Pacific countries bridge the gap between climate goals and the investment needed to reach them. As a regional platform, CFN provides technical and policy support to integrate climate into public finance, mobilize private and innovative capital, and create the enabling environment required for lasting impact. Supported by the UK’s FCDO flagship CARA programme and Sweden (Sida), CFN ensures climate action is transparent, coordinated, and fully funded.
Women leading resilience: Vicky Terupo is strengthening climate preparedness in Bougainville’s atolls.
Seru Kepa/UNDP Papua New Guinea
