A/HRC/41/26 found that women, in general, are both more concerned and more knowledgeable about climate change.68 Women’s perspectives often include not just their own experiences but also consideration and awareness of their immediate family and surrounding community. This means that women’s views and approaches can inform more holistic and effective climate action. When women are included in decisions relating to resource use and societal investment, they more often make decisions based on the best interests of children, family and community.69 29. For example, studies have found correlations between women in positions of political authority and lower national carbon footprints, between parliaments with a greater proportion of female members and ratification of environmental treaties, and between higher percentages of women on corporate boards and disclosure of carbon emissions information. 70 This indicates both the importance of women’s participation in decisionmaking, and the need to change stereotyped gender roles for men to facilitate their equal responsibilities in the family and childcare, domestic chores, and community activities. With respect to climate change mitigation efforts, women’s education, and respect for sexual and reproductive health and rights, are among the most effective means of reducing future emissions of carbon dioxide. 30. By ensuring that equality of opportunity and equal treatment of women and men is established as a goal from the outset, climate action has the potential to spur low-carbon development and economies for both men and women, promote inclusive societies, transform gender norms, enhance women’s participation in economic activities and contribute to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, for which women are fundamental actors.71 IV. Defining a gender-responsive, rights-based approach to climate action 31. States have legal obligations to implement gender-responsive climate policies that empower women, protect their rights, and address the gendered impacts of climate change. The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women each explicitly prohibit discrimination on the basis of sex. Other human rights instruments and environmental and climate-change laws and policies call for the protection of human rights and specifically women’s rights. This section describes several key legal and policy instruments that should inform genderresponsive climate action. A. Key legal and policy instruments 1. Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women 32. The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women protects the rights of women and prohibits all forms of discrimination against them, and aims to ensure women’s participation at an equal level to that of men in political, social, economic and cultural development. The Convention provides a comprehensive womenspecific regime that covers the spectrum of human rights and lifespan of women; it defines the meaning of discrimination against women; and it establishes legal obligations for parties to end such discrimination. For example, article 2 of the Convention calls upon 68 69 70 71 10 Aaron McCright, “The effects of gender on climate change knowledge and concern in the American public”, Population and Environment (2010). UN-Women, Leveraging Co-Benefits Between Gender Equality and Climate Action for Sustainable Development: Mainstreaming Gender Considerations in Climate Change Projects (2016), available at https://unfccc.int/files/gender_and_climate_change/application/pdf/leveraging_cobenefits.pdf. Gender and Climate Change: A Closer Look at Existing Evidence. ILO, “Gender, labour and a just transition towards environmentally sustainable economies and societies for all”.