Vatican in row at climate talks over gender rights

The Vatican has halted discussions regarding women’s rights at the UN climate summit amid disagreements over gay and transgender issues, sources informed BBC News.

Representatives of Pope Francis have joined forces with Saudi Arabia, Russia, Iran, and Egypt to block an agreement that aimed to increase support, including financial aid, for women impacted by climate change, as stated by Colombia’s environment minister to the BBC.

Organisations such as ActionAid emphasised the importance of reaching an agreement, noting that the UN estimates 80% of those displaced by climate change are women and girls.

A Vatican spokesperson expressed hope for reaching a consensus.

Representatives from Saudi Arabia, Russia, Iran, and Egypt declined to provide comments.

At this year’s COP29 climate summit in Azerbaijan, countries were expected to update the decade-old UN action plan to ensure climate change initiatives consider women’s experiences and direct more funding to them.

The plan has been known as the Lima Work Programme on Gender for ten years.

However, the Vatican, along with Saudi Arabia, Russia, Iran, and Egypt, is now opposed to any reference to “gender,” fearing it could include transgender women, and wants mentions of gay women excluded, according to charities and negotiators observing the talks.

These actions have hindered progress on improving women’s access to climate change support.

Colombia’s environment minister and lead negotiator Susana Muhamad criticised the delay, stating that Latin American countries are committed to preserving the gender program and upholding human rights.

The Vatican spokesperson noted the importance of an agreed text that recognises the unequal impact of climate change on women and girls.

The spokesperson expressed hope that a consensus can be achieved, respecting the sensitivities of all participating states and using language acceptable to everyone.

For over ten years, it has been generally acknowledged that women bear a disproportionate burden from climate change, largely due to caregiving roles and disrupted access to reproductive services during climate crises.

According to UN Women, by 2050, nearly 240 million more women and girls will face food insecurity due to climate change compared to 131 million more men and boys. Simultaneously, only 0.01% of global funding is directed to climate change projects that consider women.

In the new plan, African and EU countries sought to include a statement acknowledging that not all women’s experiences with climate change are identical, varying according to “gender, sex, age, and race.”

The Vatican, alongside Saudi Arabia, Russia, Egypt, and Iran, raised objections to the term “gender,” concerned it might include transgender women, negotiators reported to the BBC.

Charities observing the situation were taken aback, as these countries had not previously objected to the term over the past decade.

“I was shocked when the Vatican raised their flag and opposed the human rights language,” said Sostina Takure from the Christian charity ACT Alliance. "My heart shattered into a million pieces.”

Mwanahamisi Singano, policy director for the Women's Environment and Development Organization, informed the BBC that the group of countries also opposed the text, fearing it might permit expressions of sexuality.

She interpreted this as an issue with homosexuality.

Ms. Singano, present in the negotiation room, mentioned that countries like Iran argued this was against their laws and therefore would not permit recognition of such groups in the text.

Aid organisations have stated the deadlock endangers the entire agreement on support for women, with merely three days left before the conference concludes.

“If things continue as they are, it's not looking promising for women’s rights in the negotiations,” commented Zahra Hdidou, senior climate adviser at ActionAid.

When queried why the Vatican and others were intervening now, after nearly a decade, a country negotiator told the BBC: “It is part of a broader global backlash against women’s rights and LGBTQ+ rights.”

Pope Francis has allowed priests to bless same-sex couples in certain circumstances, and last year stated transgender individuals could be baptised in the Catholic Church, provided it did not cause scandal or “confusion.”

However, the Vatican maintains that marriage is between a man and a woman, and in April, it affirmed its opposition to sex changes, gender theory, and surrogate parenthood in a document titled “Dignitas Infinita” (Infinite Dignity).

The current UN program on gender and climate is set to expire at the end of this year, meaning that without an agreement at COP29, there will be no specific global plan for supporting women facing climate change.

Ms. Hdidou told the BBC that part of the issue was the underrepresentation of women at the discussions. Last year, only 36% of those negotiating at the conference were women, according to the UN.

“Our voices are often shut out of the COP29 negotiating rooms, resulting in outcomes that don’t reflect the true experiences of women in climate-affected areas,” she said.

At the conference’s outset, the EU issued a letter supporting by 17 countries, asserting that “our ability to address the climate crisis hinges upon our commitment to the empowerment of women and girls, in all their diversity.”