The purpose of this assessment report on gender equality and climate change is to analyse the gendered impacts of climate change and to raise awareness about the benefits of, and need for gender-responsive climate action. The study has two main objectives: i) to strengthen country-driven processes by presenting more evidence of the links between gender equality and climate change and analysing gendered impacts in the key adaptation and mitigation sectors; and ii) to provide country-specific recommendations about how to enhance gender responsive policy implementation and further bolster the integration of gender equality in climate-relevant policy areas. The study uses a combination-research approach comprising a desk review, semi-structured interviews with key informants, secondary data analysis and multi-stakeholder consultation. Using the Driver-Pressure-State-Impact-Response (DPSIR) framework and the Global Gender and Environment Outlook (GGEO) of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) to assess the state of gender equality and climate change policy, the conceptual analysis consists of five fundamental components: driving forces; pressures; state; impacts; and responses. The study includes a sectoral gender-based analysis of four priority sectors - energy and forestry for mitigation action and agriculture and rural development for adaptation areas.

Agriculture and water are among the high priority sectors for achieving the targets of the Cambodia Sustainable Development Goals, Cambodia Climate Change Strategic Plan 2014–2023 and Cambodia’s Nationally Determined Contributions (intended reductions in greenhouse gas emissions) under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. The impacts of climate change on these two sectors vary depending on location and the levels of exposure and sensitivity and adaptive capacity. The study set out to identify groups of people who are vulnerable (both site and context-specific) to climate change, and their capacity and practices for responding to and coping with climate hazards such as flood, drought, and windstorms across the four agro-ecological zones. The study looks at how climate change affects the agriculture and water sectors and the livelihoods dependent on them, highlights cost-effective and technically appropriate climate change responses, and suggests best practices to suit different local settings in Cambodia.

The newly released ASEAN Women, Peace and Security (WPS) Study recommends 5 key actions to promote WPS agenda in the region: - Formulate a regional plan of action - Mainstream gender as a crosscutting issue - Ensure the ASEAN approach to peace and security is for all - Build the institutional capacity for and commitment to WPS - Raise awareness of the ASEAN approach to WPS among people #ASEAN #WPS #WomenPeaceSecurity #RegionalPlan #InstitutionalCapacity

As of January 2021, over 88 million covid-19 cases had been recorded worldwide leading to 1.9 million deaths. Countries in the Mekong subregion have managed the health aspect of the crisis far better than much wealthier counterparts such as the United States and United Kingdom. The US has recorded 66,660 cases per million compared to 6, 15, 23, and 141 cases per million in Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Thailand respectively. Having weathered the first wave, Myanmar became a regional outlier with 128,772 recorded cases (2358/ million) and 2,799 deaths after a mutated strain (D614) first d etected i n M arch t hat can multiply 20 percent faster and is 10 times more infectious began spreading locally.1 This may lead to a second wave sweeping through the subregion after new infections were discovered in Laos and Thailand in December. Despite relative success containing the virus, the political, economic, and social implications of measures to constrain its spread have been devastating for many and borne disproportionately by the poor. This will have long-lasting effects on the livelihoods and wellbeing of people across the region. This paper provides an introduction to the initial impacts of the corona crisis on some the most vulnerable populations across the Mekong at the end of its first year. Part one highlights uneven fortunes of different social class fractions, from low paid workers in export-oriented industries to those participating in informal economies, immigrant workers and displaced persons. These fortunes are contrasted with those of salaried workers, big firms, and investors in financial markets. Part two situates the corona crisis and its impacts in the Mekong within broader global and regional trends related to expansion of capitalist social relations of production, capitalism’s internal and external dynamics, and inherent crisis tendencies. It connects these to processes of class formation generated through the ongoing capitalist transformation of the subregion, noting those most affected by the corona crisis are those societies have disempowered as social relations and state forms have been reorganised towards expanded production of commodities for export. It argues this has been an essentially extractive process whereby natural and social wealth has been commodified, expropriated, and exploited, in pursuit of monetary wealth mostly accumulated elsewhere. This process is inherently imperialist, as social relations in dominated countries across the region have been restructured to meet the needs of dominant countries and class fractions, leaving subaltern class fractions especially vulnerable to shocks and disruption. Part three argues the corona crisis has once again exposed the limitations of capitalist social relations of production and presents an opportunity to renew struggles towards more rational and democratic forms of social organisation. To this end, it highlights diverse social groups across the subregion, from peasants and factory workers to progressive youth, resisting concentration of power and wealth and the demands they have made on their respective states. The paper concludes by arguing long-lasting change and genuine social transformation can only be achieved by struggles from below led by such diverse subaltern class fractions, aiming toward progressive transformation of diverse state forms so that we may rationally re-order our societies to better serve the interests of people and planet. This task is to be pursued through political education and movement building.

A study performed by the United Nations.

This review considers literature in English on women and leadership in Cambodia. It was undertaken in 2018 in preparation for the Public Perceptions of Women as Leaders research to be conducted by Cambodian women’s rights organisations in partnership with International Women’s Development Agency (IWDA). The focus of the literature is on women and political leadership; however, women’s activity in social and economic spheres is also of interest. The review was updated in October 2019 to reflect changes.

The COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionately affected millions of migrants, refugees, asylum-seekers, and stateless persons as well as IDPs worldwide. At the same time, the dependence of economies and societies on migrant and refugee labour to perform essential work in such sectors as healthcare, transportation, services, agriculture, food production and distribution, construction, industry, commerce, and others became even more obvious. However, many policies and actions addressing COVID-19 at the beginning of the pandemic were established with little or no consideration for migrants and refugees, resulting in excessive COVID cases, high mortality rates, unemployment, and loss of livelihood across migrant and refugee populations. The paper argues that a comprehensive and rights-based package of measures is needed for effective response to the pandemic, relevant and proportionate to prevent the spread of coronavirus and allowing for people and economies to sustain socioeconomic development on local, national, and regional levels. Based on in-depth review and critical analysis of literature as well as synthesis of approaches and recommendations contained in guidance documents from international organisations, the paper provides policy lines and actions/action steps on COVID-19 and migrants and refugees. It covers the interrelated issues of health and healthcare including vaccination; non-discrimination and inclusion; social protection; employment; community support and protection; gender; refugee specific measures; cross-border mobility; data, narrative, and communications; and recovery. Only a comprehensive package of measures that includes migrants, refugees, asylum seekers, stateless Summary: Introduction, Methodology, Challenges faced by refugees, migrants, host communities and countries of residence, Need for urgent, appropriate action by governments and all other actors, Overarching normative obligations for treatment of migrants and refugees, A Checklist of Practical Guidelines for action, legislation, policy and monitoring and Conclusions.