Think Piece: Gender and Climate Change in the Context of COVID-19

2020 was intended to be a pivotal year for the global gender equality agenda and global climate change ambition. It was supposed to be a year to mark the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Beijing Platform for Action and to celebrate the start of the Paris Agreement. Yet, the unexpected and rapid spread of the highly infectious novel coronavirus has set in our paths a mammoth challenge. The ensuing economic slowdown and the postponement of the UN Climate Conference to 2021 threaten to stall the world’s commitments to climate action. However, this is also an opportunity to better understand the links between pandemics such as COVID-19 and climate change and ensure that we rebuild from this crisis inclusively, equitably and sustainably.