Gender assessment Local Climate Adaptive Living Facility - Benin

The report identifies deep-seated patriarchal norms in Benin that limit women's access to land, education, and financial resources, thereby increasing their vulnerability to climate change. It notes that while Benin has a strong legal framework for gender equality, climate-specific policies often lack gender integration. The LoCAL programme aims to address these gaps by mainstreaming gender in local governance and using the Women Economic Empowerment Index (WEEI) to prioritize resilient investments in four specific departments.

• Deep-rooted patriarchal socio-cultural values and stereotypes in Benin, particularly in rural areas and the agricultural sector, hinder gender equality and limit women's participation in leadership and decision-making.
• Significant gender gaps exist in education and early life milestones; only 10% of girls aged 21-24 have completed secondary school, and one-third of women aged 20-24 were married before 18.
• Women in Benin face severe restrictions in accessing productive resources; only 13% of women own land, and only 4.6% have access to motorized or animal traction for farming.
• Financial inclusion is heavily gender-skewed, with 49% of men possessing a bank account compared to only 29% of women.
• Climate change disproportionately affects women in Benin due to their reliance on the primary sector and their roles in collecting water and fuel, which becomes more burdensome as resources deplete.
• There is a disconnect between Benin's general gender equality laws and its climate policies; for example, the Third National Communication to the UNFCCC (2019) lacked gender inclusion.
• The LoCAL programme will target 25 local governments in the Atacora, Alibori, Donga, and Mono departments to build adaptive capacity and reduce climate vulnerability.
• To ensure investments promote gender equality, the LoCAL mechanism will utilize the Women Economic Empowerment Index (WEEI) to assess the viability of public adaptation projects.
• The programme will implement a performance-based grant system (PBCRG) that uses cross-cutting indicators, including the participation of women and girls, to determine grant amounts for local authorities.

APA

Green Climate Fund (2023). Gender assessment Local Climate Adaptive Living Facility - Benin. https://www.greenclimate.fund/sites/default/files/document/sap032-gender-assessment-combined.pdf

Chicago

Green Climate Fund. Gender assessment Local Climate Adaptive Living Facility - Benin. 2023. https://www.greenclimate.fund/sites/default/files/document/sap032-gender-assessment-combined.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Green Climate Fund |title=Gender assessment Local Climate Adaptive Living Facility - Benin |date=25 October 2023 |url=https://www.greenclimate.fund/sites/default/files/document/sap032-gender-assessment-combined.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{greenclimatefund2023gender, author = {{Green Climate Fund}}, title = {{Gender assessment Local Climate Adaptive Living Facility - Benin}}, institution = {Green Climate Fund}, year = {2023}, month = oct, url = {https://www.greenclimate.fund/sites/default/files/document/sap032-gender-assessment-combined.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }