The Green Climate Fund and other climate related funds are beginning to require reporting of gender impacts of their investments, while corporations and financial institutions are increasingly interested in addressing women’s empowerment needs and SDG targets. WOCAN organized the side event during UNFCCC’s COP22 on 17 November in Marrakesh to discuss how new standards are making it possible to measure and unitize women’s empowerment benefits, alongside those of carbon emission reductions generated through climate initiatives.
Maria Lee from the W+ Standard for Women’s Empowerment and Jerry Seager, Chief Program Officer of Verified Carbon Standard described how this collaboration provides offset buyers and investors with transparent and reliable means to achieve both environment and social impacts simultaneously. Ingo Puhl, Managing Partner & Chief Growth Officer of South Pole Group presented how the market demand for this can increase and drive results-based financing for women’s empowerment and climate action. Rachel O’Reilly of CBL Markets discussed how new technology is enabling the market to more directly support projects that empower women. The event was moderated by Jeannette Gurung, Executive Director of WOCAN.
