Climate disasters do not affect everyone equally. Women, especially Indigenous, Afro-descendant, women with disabilities, or those living in poverty, face greater vulnerability in crises due to pre-existing structural inequalities: the disproportionate burden of care work, the digital divide, reduced mobility, and increased exposure to gender-based violence. Ignoring these differences makes interventions less effective.

This guide provides UNDP teams and their partners in Latin America and the Caribbean with a practical roadmap for designing disaster preparedness, response, and recovery initiatives that place gender equality at the center. Through the Gender Marker, analytical tools, concrete entry points, and real-life examples, the document outlines how to move from interventions that address gender only marginally to actions that tackle the structural causes of inequality.

The guide is structured around four strategic pillars (economic autonomy, care, violence prevention, and women’s leadership) across each stage of the risk management cycle, with the aim of achieving disaster responses that recognize the different realities of those affected.