Gender mainstreaming in climate change adaptation strategies in Bangladesh and Nepal.

Abstract This chapter discusses the state of gender mainstreaming in climate action activities and policies in two South Asian neighbors, Bangladesh and Nepal, based on a review of key climate change policy documents. Three questions are addressed: (1) How do Bangladesh and Nepal mitigate the detrimental effects of climate change for rural women? (2) How do climate policies and programmes in Bangladesh and Nepal respond to the different needs and concerns of these women within their national adaptation strategies? (3) What are the opportunities and challenges of mainstreaming gender in climate action policies and programmes in Bangladesh and Nepal? A key argument of this chapter is that climate change is not gender-neutral, and it has become increasingly necessary for Bangladesh and Nepal to learn from one another in order to build gender-sensitive strategies that are cognizant of the needs of rural women.