At the Bonn climate talks, negotiators advanced a revised Gender Action Plan recognizing men and boys as key partners in achieving climate justice. Bangladesh’s EcoMen initiative exemplifies this shift, engaging men to challenge patriarchy and support gender-inclusive environmental leadership.
A quiet but profound shift emerged from this year’s UN climate negotiations in Bonn: men and boys are no longer viewed as bystanders in the pursuit of gender equality—they are now being formally acknowledged as crucial partners in dismantling climate injustice.
At the 62nd session of the Subsidiary Body for Implementation (SBI), negotiators focused on revising the Gender Action Plan (GAP) under the Lima Work Programme on Gender (LWPG). The discussions are laying the groundwork for a new phase of gender-responsive climate policy to be finalized at COP30 in Belém, Brazil later this year.
While debates over inclusive language—especially references to gender-diverse persons and Indigenous women—exposed lingering fault lines among Parties, there was notable progress in recognizing the positive role men and boys can play in addressing gendered climate inequalities.
An informal note circulated during the Bonn talks calls for a deeper understanding of gender-differentiated impacts, not only on women and girls, but also on men and boys. One proposal even recommends that COP31 host a high-level segment to engage men and boys in building a “socially just green transition.”
“We cannot solve the climate crisis while upholding structures of patriarchy,” said Sohanur Rahman, a youth climate leader from Bangladesh and member of the MenEngage Alliance global working group. “Recognizing the role of men and boys is a powerful step forward. They must be part of the transformation—not as saviours, but as partners who actively challenge inequality.”
EcoMen in action: A ground-level revolution in Bangladesh
This vision of partnership is already being realised in Bangladesh, where Sohanur’s organization YouthNet Global is spearheading the EcoMen initiative. Operating in climate-vulnerable regions like Shyamnagar, Barishal, Khulna, and Kurigram, the programme engages men and boys to challenge gender stereotypes, promote women’s leadership, and advocate for climate justice.
Through intimate courtyard meetings, father-son dialogues, and peer mentoring, EcoMen is reshaping notions of masculinity in areas where patriarchy, poverty, floods, and salinity intersect.
“These are places where climate risks collide with rigid gender norms,” said Sohanur. “But when men are given the space and tools to reflect, they can—and do—become part of the solution.”
From data myths to structural realities
The updated Gender Action Plan also urges countries to collect better data and adopt targeted messaging for men and boys, especially in patriarchal communities. The shift comes alongside renewed calls to fund implementation—through capacity-building, finance, and technology transfer—and to broaden representation, especially of African descent women, survivors of gender-based violence, and caregivers.
The conversations in Bonn also cast fresh scrutiny on commonly cited but outdated statistics—such as the claim that women are 14 times more likely to die in disasters. That figure, often repeated in climate discourse, can be traced back to an opinion piece about the 1991 cyclone in Bangladesh.
More robust research, like the 2007 study by Neumayer and Plümper, shows that disaster death rates are largely equal when women and men enjoy the same rights and access. The disparity is not biological—it’s structural.
“That is a crisis we can fix,” said Sohanur. “Vulnerability is not inherent. It’s socially constructed. Dismantle the barriers, and we shift the outcomes.”
A new gender era at COP30?
Since its adoption in 2014—and enhancement in 2019—the Gender Action Plan has been a pillar of UNFCCC’s equity commitments. But critics argue its implementation has too often been tokenistic. The new focus on male engagement, many hope, will drive more systemic change.
“This isn’t about putting men at the centre,” Sohanur emphasized. “It’s about calling them in—honestly, accountably, and in solidarity with those most impacted.”
As attention now turns to COP30 in Belém, the question is whether this draft language will survive the political trade-offs ahead. Yet for advocates of intersectional, inclusive climate solutions, the inclusion of men and boys—and the lessons from Bangladesh’s EcoMen—marks both a symbolic win and the start of something transformational.
