LEDS in Practice: Promote Gender Equality to Realize the Benefits of Low Emission Development

Gender equality is fundamental to achieving sustainable development, as recognized by the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)—explicitly in SDG 5 on gender equality, and as a prerequisite to achieving other SDGs, from improved education to health to addressing climate change. By actively engaging both women and men in all segments of society, countries can tap into hidden potential and make their transition to low carbon societies truly sustainable. For example, women often play a central role in sectors where emissions can be substantially reduced in tandem with development benefits, such as efficient household energy use, support to income generation activities, and shaping consumption patterns towards low emission products. In addition, identification of women as active members of society and promoting their participation in new/nontraditional climate related job opportunities, for example as renewable energy technicians and entrepreneurs, will contribute to poverty reduction and economic growth. Studies show that gender diversity in high level decision making has a positive impact on business performance and investment in general, as evidenced by the better performance of companies with more women on their board with regard to returns on investment, sales, and equity.