Vatican Accused of Obstructing Gender Rights Discussions at UN Climate Summit

According to sources who spoke to BBC News, the Vatican has obstructed discussions concerning women’s rights at the UN climate summit, stemming from a dispute over issues related to gay and transgender individuals. Colombia’s environment minister informed the BBC that representatives of Pope Francis have joined Saudi Arabia, Russia, Iran, and Egypt in hindering an agreement designed to offer increased support, including financial assistance, to women disproportionately affected by climate change. Organizations such as ActionAid emphasized the critical importance of reaching an agreement, citing UN estimates that indicate women and girls constitute 80% of individuals currently displaced by climate change. A spokesperson for the Vatican stated that the Holy See maintained its hope for achieving consensus. Requests for comment sent to representatives from Saudi Arabia, Russia, Iran, and Egypt received no reply. At the ongoing COP29 climate summit in Azerbaijan, participating nations were scheduled to update a decade-old UN action plan, aiming to ensure that all climate change initiatives considered women’s experiences and directed greater funding towards them. This program has been known as the Lima Work Programme on Gender for the past ten years. However, charities monitoring the discussions and negotiators from other nations informed the BBC that the Vatican, Saudi Arabia, Russia, Iran, and Egypt now object to any mention of “gender,” fearing it might encompass transgender women, and seek the removal of references to gay women. This stance, according to them, has brought the entire agreement on advancing women’s access to climate change support to a standstill. “It is unacceptable,” stated Colombia’s environment minister and lead negotiator, Susana Muhamad, regarding the delay. She was among the few country representatives prepared to speak publicly, while others spoke to the BBC anonymously due to their involvement in ongoing negotiations. “The Latin American countries are working very hard – we will not allow the gender programme to drop and allow human rights to be dropped,” she informed BBC News. The Vatican spokesperson affirmed the importance of developing an agreed text that acknowledges the disproportionate effects of climate change on women and girls. The spokesperson added, “The Holy See hopes that consensus will be reached, with respect for the sensitivities of each participating State and in a language acceptable to all.” For over ten years, nations worldwide have recognized that women bear a disproportionate burden from climate change, frequently owing to their caregiving responsibilities and disruptions to reproductive service access during climate-related disasters. UN Women reports that by 2050, nearly 240 million more women and girls will experience food insecurity due to climate change, in contrast to 131 million more men and boys. Concurrently, only 0.01% of global funding is allocated to climate change projects that also consider women. African and EU countries sought to incorporate a provision in the proposed plan stating that women’s experiences with climate change are not uniform, varying based on their “gender, sex, age and race.” Country negotiators informed the BBC that the Vatican, alongside Saudi Arabia, Russia, Egypt, and Iran, expressed objections to the term “gender,” believing it could encompass transgender women. Charities monitoring the situation expressed surprise, noting that these nations had not previously raised objections to the term’s usage over the past decade. Sostina Takure, representing the Christian charity ACT Alliance, stated, “I was shocked when the Vatican raised their flag and opposed the human rights language.” She added, “My heart shattered into a million pieces.” Mwanahamisi Singano, policy director for the Women’s Environment and Development Organization, informed the BBC that the coalition of countries also resisted the text because “they are very concerned they are code words to allow sexual expression.” She clarified her understanding that this concern pertained to homosexuality. Ms. Singano, present in the negotiating room, reported that countries such as Iran contended that such recognition was unlawful under their national legislation, thus preventing the inclusion of those groups in the document. Aid organizations have warned that the impasse jeopardizes the entire agreement concerning support for women, with only three days remaining until the conference concludes. Zahra Hdidou, a senior climate adviser at ActionAid, commented, “I think if things continue the way they are it is not looking good for women’s rights in the negotiations.” When questioned about the timing of the Vatican’s and other nations’ intervention after almost a decade, one country negotiator informed the BBC, “It is part of a broader global backlash against women’s rights and LGBTQ+ rights.” Pope Francis has previously authorized priests to bless same-sex couples under specific conditions, and last year he stated that transgender individuals could be baptized within the Catholic Church, provided it did not create scandal or “confusion.” Nevertheless, the Vatican affirmed its continued view of marriage as exclusively between a man and a woman, and in April, in a document titled “Dignitas Infinita” (Infinite Dignity), it declared its firm opposition to sex changes, gender theory, and surrogate parenthood. The existing UN program on gender and climate is set to conclude at the end of this year, implying that a failure to reach an agreement at COP29 would result in the absence of a dedicated global strategy for assisting women affected by climate change. However, Ms. Hdidou informed the BBC that a contributing factor to the issue was the limited representation of women at the negotiations. According to the UN, only 36% of negotiators at last year’s conference were women. She stated, “Our voices are often shut out of the COP29 negotiating rooms. Which means we will get outcomes that don’t reflect the lived realities of women in climate-hit areas.” At the commencement of the conference, the EU released a letter, now endorsed 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.”