The document introduces the Environment and Gender Index (EGI), which was created to monitor countries' implementation of global agreements regarding gender and the environment. It evaluates 72 countries across 6 categories related to livelihoods, ecosystems, gender rights/participation, governance, education/assets, and self-reported activities. The EGI found that gender data remains limited but gender policies seem to be improving representation and gender-responsive projects. It also identified gaps that countries and organizations should work to fill through better data collection on issues like women in leadership, employment, and technology access. The creator plans to expand country coverage and refine the EGI methodology over time.

1. The
Environment
and Gender Index
(EGI)
Ruta Aidis, PhD
Index Developer
Global Gender Office
IUCN

2. Moving Beyond Lip Service
We have to move beyond the lip service
of gender mainstreaming, into concrete
actions...It is important to place welldefined, convention-specific strategies
on gender with achievable indicators
and objectives and to support
governments in their efforts to
implement and comply with the gender
provisions of the Conventions.
Christiana Figueres, UNFCCC Executive
Secretary
R. Aidis (2013)

3. We Need a Data
Revolution
Too often, development efforts have
been hampered by a lack of the most
basic data about the social and
economic circumstances in which
people live... Stronger monitoring and
evaluation at all levels, and in all
processes of development (from
planning to implementation) will help
guide decision making, update priorities
and ensure accountability
March 2013 communiqué, the High-Level Panel of
Eminent Persons on the Post-2015 Development
Agenda in Bali, Indonesia
R. Aidis (2013)

4. The Purpose of the EGI
• Monitor implementation of global
agreements
• Promote transparency and
accountability
• Expand access to environmental
information
• Increase aid effectiveness
• Demonstrate that measurement is
possible
R. Aidis (2013)

5. Core Questions
Are governments integrating gender in
their environmental efforts?
Are the conditions favorable for women
to be actively involved in environmental
decision-making?
But our main task became….
• Searching for Data
• Filling data gaps
• Identifying proxies
R. Aidis (2013)

6. Methodology
• Expert Panel of 33 members
• Existing high quality data sets
• Creating new data sets to fill data
gaps
• Developing a composite index
•
•
•
•
Country list
A methodological framework
Index-ready data
Weighting scheme
R. Aidis (2013)

7. The EGI Framework
R. Aidis (2013)

8. 72 Countries Worldwide
Eurasia
8
OECD
8
Asia
13
Latin America
and Caribbean
7
Africa
20
MENA
8
R. Aidis (2013)

9. EGI Country Rankings

10. Regional Performance
Region/Group
Highest
performer
Lowest
performer
Top category for
region/group
Latin America and
the Caribbean
Panama
Dominican
Republic
Livelihood and Genderbased Education & Assets
Eurasia
Romania
Tajikistan
Livelihood
Asia
Mongolia
Pakistan
Ecosystem and Genderbased Education & Assets
Middle East and
North Africa
Lebanon
Yemen
Livelihood
Africa
South Africa
DRC
Ecosystem
OECD Countries
Iceland
Italy
Livelihood and Genderbased Education & Assets
R. Aidis (2013)

11. Iceland
Rank: 1
OECD
Score: 84
Regional rank: 1
Income level rank: 1
Category
Overall score
(normalized values)
(out of 16 countries)
(out of 16 countries)
Regional rank
(out of 16 countries)
Income level rank
(out of 16 countries)
1
2
3
Livelihood
Ecosystem
Gender-based rights and participation
97
85
73
5
6
5
5
6
5
4
5
Governance
Gender-based education and assets
87
100
8
3
8
3
6
Country-reported activities
36
1
1
GDP per capita PPP (USD)
$42,658
Women agriculture holders
n/a
Female graduates in Science
63%
Women working in the informal sector
n/a
Women engaged in vulnerable
employment
6%
Female Internet users
96%
Global Environment Facility (GEF)
projects
n/a
Legal quotas for women in policymaking positions
No
Female headed households (rural)
n/a
Female mobile phone subscribers
78%
R. Aidis (2013)

12. Examples of Country Performance
R. Aidis (2013)

13. Examples of Country Performance
R. Aidis (2013)

14. EGI and GDP Per Capita Compared
EGI Comparison to GDP Per Capita
$120,000
GDP per captia for 2012 in USD
$100,000
$80,000
$60,000
$40,000
$20,000
$0
0
10
20
30
40
50
EGI Score
60
70
80
90
R² = 0.543
R. Aidis (2013)

15. New Dataset: Country-Reported Activities on
Gender and Environment
Top Three Performers on Country-reported Activities
Overall
UNFCCC UNCCD
CBD
CEDAW
1
India
India
India
Tanzania Morocco
2
Kenya
Ghana
S. Africa
Mexico
Yemen
3
Ghana
Malawi
Kenya
Kenya
Ghana
R. Aidis (2013)

16. New Dataset: Women Delegates to COP
R. Aidis (2013)

17. New Dataset: Gender-Responsive Projects
Before and After Gender Policy
R. Aidis (2013)

18. New Dataset: Women Ministers of Environment
and Environment-Related Ministries
R. Aidis (2013)

19. Overall Findings
• Gender Data in the
Environmental Sector
• Accountability between
International Agreements and
National Action
• Gender Parity in Environmental
Decision-making
• Gender Policies Seem to be
Working
R. Aidis (2013)

20. Next Steps for EGI
• Country level analysis
• Refine methodology
• Increase country coverage
• Build momentum for data
collection by international
organizations and governments
• Create new datasets
R. Aidis (2013)

21. Send us your feedback:
environmentgenderindex.org/contact