This document discusses considerations for integrating gender and vulnerable groups into national adaptation planning. It provides examples of tools used to conduct community-based vulnerability assessments, including seasonal calendars, hazard maps, and timelines. These tools aim to understand local impacts, facilitate community-led analysis and planning, and bring together indigenous and scientific knowledge. The document notes that disaggregating vulnerability analysis is important to understand differences in aspects like asset base, access to information, and division of labor. It also reflects on challenges of scaling up local analysis to the national level and balancing custom with inclusion. Recommendations include developing gender strategies, action plans, and indicators to better target adaptation interventions for vulnerable social groups.

1. Aarjan Dixit
CARE International
15 April 2015, 3rd NAP EXPO
Considerations of gender
and vulnerable groups
Examples, lessons and highlights from country
experiences in using tools and methods

2. Differential vulnerability: The role of social incl. gender
dimensions
•Risks to climate related impacts: vulnerability, hazards and
exposure. The roles, responsibilities, voice, access, control ...
 result of social relations a critical component
• Different groups within a community have different but
complementary knowledge, capacities, experience

3. Introducing CARE’s Community-based Adaptation
Tools www.careclimatechange.org/tools
Aims/ objectives
•Understanding local and
differentiated impacts of climate
change
•Community level and –led
analysis, planning and tracking
•Bringing together locally held
knowledge and climate info
services
•Reflective community process
•Collaborative learning and
dialogue between different actors
Primary target audience
•Project managers, field staff
•Local partners
•Communities
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These tools do NOT:
• quantify results
• provide results that can be
generalised to
national/regional levels

4. Introducing CARE tools cont.
Processes
• Community-driven
• Institutional mapping, policy
analysis, key informants
• Inclusive & empowering
Linkages
• ACCRA Local Adaptive Capacity
• Livelihoods framework
• Rights-based approaches
• Gender and Diversity
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Field level tools e.g.
• seasonal calendars
• hazard maps
• historical timeline, trend analysis
• Venn diagram
• vulnerability matrix, hazard &
response analysis

5. Findings from across the regions – underlying causes
of vulnerability
• Asset base: ability to be proactive and innovate / take risks requires
minimum asset base  strong differences e.g. land tenure, livestock, credit
• Exclusion/ lack of voice: ethnic minorities, younger generations, or poor,
uneducated women lacking voice in decision-making on e.g. DRM, land use,
development planning
• Access to information and training: language,
generation and gender gaps in access to crucial
information (weather, early warning, markets..)
• Labour division by gender group  differential
exposure and sensitivity to climatic hazards depending on
crops farmed,livelihoods activities, time use
• Climatic shifts and social change: transitions in/ out of
livelihoods, changes in labour division, erosion of
community safety nets
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6. Lessons on social & gender dimensions of
vulnerability analysis
• Disaggregating vulnerability is not just about conducting
household level same-sex focus groups, nor about female-
headed households versus everyone else– about evolution in
equality gaps (control, rights, access, etc)
• Poverty - vulnerability relationship needs renewed nuance–
gender, age, disability, marginalization etc…
• Cookbook fallacy around tools: lack of training, time,
facilitation skills;
• Trade-off: local custom vs. inclusion - time pressures, and
local customs vs. inclusion of most excluded groups
• Analysis “and then what?” Analysis needs follow-on tools 
otherwise social dimension gets "lost in translation"
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7. Reflections for NAP
• Better targeting, timing and approaches of adaptation-related
interventions for climate-vulnerable social groups
• From local to nation: Large scale climate response budgets and
timeframes versus inclusiveness, context specificity and sensitivity
to local power relations
• Dangers of generalisation–: how to utilise case studies without
inappropriate generalisation
• Information & knowledge filters at different levels/ in different
sectors are as important as the assessment method itself
• Chicken and egg problem of evidence and climate policy results
frameworks- what needs to come first?
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8. Questions to consider:
• What methods and tools have you found to be the most
useful for your country to address gender considerations
and considerations about vulnerable groups in adaptation
planning and implementation?
• For each element of the NAP guidelines, which building
blocks would particularly need to be undertaken with a
gender lens to ensure adequate consideration of gender
issues in the process to formulate and implement NAPs.
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9. Thank you!
www.careclimatechange.org

10. Bonn NAP Expo
14-15 April 2015
SebastienDUSABEYEZU
UNFCCC National Focal Point for Rwanda
Senior Environmental Analyst Officer

11. Main gaps and challenges
 Lack of gender references in the national NAPA;
 Insufficient baseline information and indicators on specific
vulnerabilities and adaptation mesures;
 Lack of disaggregated data at all levels;
 Low level of stakeholder participation in NAPA development
process especially departments in charge of gender and women
empowerment
The NAPA process was not decentralized to local structures and
most vulnerable communities to consider their views;
 Insufficient knowledge on the link between gender and
adaptation to CC;
 Issue of coordination, planning and monitoring/evaluation

12. Conclusion and recommendations
Gender GoR (Governmentof Rwanda) and partners should continueworking
hand in hand to ensure effective integrationof gender in adaptation strategies,
programs and projects.
Role of youth: “Youth” is the half of the population. Women and youth are both
involved in adaption activities, as the most vulnerable group but also the strength
(Force) of the Nation.
Recommendations:
 Development baseline and vulnerability indicators;
 Developmentof gender strategy for each key sector;
 Developmentof short, medium and long term National Action Plans with
attentionon specificitiesof involved groups and sectors;
 Capacity building and advocacyon gender mainstreaming and increaseof
coordination between sectors;
 Increasing financing opportunities for women;
 Increasing collaborationwith stakeholders;
