Gender in Civil-Military Climate Security and Disaster Response: Co-Creating Gender-Transformative Approaches amid the Global Climate Crisis
Publisher: Pacific Forum International
Author(s): Maryruth Belsey Priebe and Tevvi Bullock
Date: 2024
Topics: Climate Change, Disasters, Gender, Humanitarian Assistance
Countries: Fiji, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Thailand, United States, Vanuatu, Vietnam
With the growing frequency, intensity, and severity of climate crisis events and disasters, defense and security institutions will be increasingly called upon to provide humanitarian aid and disaster relief (HA/DR), and to mitigate the escalation of conflict and violence in the wake of climate-fuelled disasters across Southeast Asia and the Pacific. Globally, humanitarian need is continuing to surge, with nearly 300 million people requiring assistance in 2024. As climate change intensifies, national defense systems will in turn be challenged by strained resources and readiness. As the threats posed by the climate crisis and its impacts are taken more seriously by defense and security actors across the region, it is crucial to assess how gender inequalities and insecurities are conceptualized, engaged with -- or ignored -- by those acting to mitigate and / or respond to disasters. Conventional state-centric conceptualizations of "climate security" often too narrowly frame climate discussions within the scope of "hard security" issues. Perceived threats to states, the geopolitical order and the socio-political and economic status quo continue to dominate in high level decision-making and resource allocation, particularly through narratives that securitize the climate crisis. Although military deployments in response to disasters are growing, dominant approaches to crisis response across the Indo-Pacific region in many cases remain “gender blind.” That is to say, they do not comprehensively integrate a gender-responsive approach to inequalities, let alone seek to advance gender-transformative outcomes. As such, they do not adequately address the broader ecological, social, political, racial, and intergenerational dynamics that underpin human insecurities in climate crisis and disaster contexts. Addressing these deficiencies, this Major Report centers on recognising and elevating the wealth of perspectives, experiences, and expertise of women from civil society organizations in Fiji, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea (PNG), the Philippines, Thailand, Vanuatu, and Vietnam. Through civ-mil knowledge sharing and engagement, the Project and resulting report offer new insights and ideas regarding inclusive, intersectional, and gender-transformative approaches to addressing the gender-climate-health-security nexus across the Indo-Pacific. The co-created Gendered Risk Assessment and Action Plan Tool (GRAAPT) (see Appendix 3) provides a foundational resource with which diverse actors and institutions can comprehensively integrate gender perspectives and the expertise and knowledge of women into civ-mil disaster planning and response, with the hope of achieving more effective and equitable responses to disasters and health crises.