The impacts of climate change are disproportionately felt by the poorest and most vulnerable, exacerbating existing inequalities and undermining efforts to address hunger, poverty and insecurity. In response to these challenges, social protection is now well recognised as a critical tool to make climate action more inclusive, including for rural populations whose dependence on agricultural livelihoods and natural resources make them especially vulnerable. However, while the evidence base on social protection and climate action is growing, there is still limited knowledge for programme designers and policy makers on how to design and implement social protection programmes that deliver climate objectives while simultaneously advancing Gender Equity, Disability and Social Inclusion (GEDSI) goals.

This webinar discussed how Technical Assistance can strengthen gender-responsive and inclusive social protection. It highlighted the importance of a flexible Technical Assistance Facility and the different ways in which technical assistance can be provided to strengthen gender-responsive and inclusive social protection systems.

Advancing women’s empowerment through social protection remains an important global policy priority for achieving long-term goals related to gender equality and poverty reduction. Rural women, particularly those dependent on agricultural livelihoods, continue to face multiple gender inequalities and barriers that limit their potential for economic empowerment. In view of these multiple constraints, there has been an increase in global efforts to promote gender equality through gender-responsive social protection and economic inclusion programmes. There is also a growing need to evaluate the ways in which multicomponent interventions facilitate improvements in women’s and girls’ economic empowerment and quality of life.