Advancing Gender in the Environment
(AGENT)
Advancing Gender in the Environment

About AGENT
AGENT drives transformation toward a more sustainable and equitable future for all.
Recognizing women as agents of change, and the value of diverse knowledge, experiences and capacities of women and men alike, AGENT envisions a world that approaches environmental work at all levels with gender-responsive policy and action.
How AGENT Works?

Filling critical information gaps
Addressing knowledge gaps on gender across environmental contexts
Women are vital to conservation and resilience-building efforts, and women’s empowerment is intrinsically linked to achieving sustainable development. Yet, gender inequalities and gaps persist: AGENT works to fill critical knowledge gaps to enable gender-responsive, knowledge-based environmental action.

Making the case for gender integration
Spreading the word on gender and environment linkages
IUCN has unique networking abilities as an Intergovernmental Organization. A membership Union composed of 1,400 members from governments, indigenous organizations and civil society organizations and tapping over 15,000 experts through its commissions, IUCN provides public, private and non-governmental organizations with knowledge and tools that enable human progress, economic development and nature conservation to take place together. AGENT leverages this expansive base, promoting IUCN and USAID thought leadership by advancing knowledge, advocacy and capacity building at all levels.

Tailored technical support
Building capacities for gender equality through expert support
AGENT provides tailored technical support to USAID and IUCN activities with a specialized focus on women’s leadership, women’s economic empowerment and strengthened livelihoods. Technical gender specialists work closely with programs, projects and local stakeholders to develop and apply gender analyses and action plans, for example, and build specific strategies, tools and in-house capacities to address gender gaps and realize gender-responsive results.
An IUCN-USAID partnership
Advancing Gender in the Environment (AGENT) is a ten-year collaboration between the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Office of Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment (GenDev) that was established in 2014. The purpose of the grant is to increase the effectiveness of environment programming through robust gender integration and improve gender equality and women’s empowerment outcomes in a broad range of environmental sectors.

Why AGENT is important?
Gender equality and women’s empowerment are powerful levers for change.
Current areas of focus
Addressing knowledge gaps, building capacities and delivering technical support on gender integration across environmental contexts.
Gender-Based Violence and Environment Linkages

Through AGENT and with other partners, IUCN strengthens awareness and capacities to address gender-based violence and environment linkages, critical to meeting interlinked global goals.
Gender in Fisheries: A Sea of Opportunities

A part of its AGENT partnership, IUCN works with USAID and other partners in advancing evidence-based approaches to strengthening women’s empowerment, access to finance and sustainable fisheries through a Learning Initiative.
Sustainable and climate resilient landscapes
Climate change is not gender neutral: Under the AGENT partnership, IUCN operationalizes the knowledge it creates, ensuring evidence and experience-based expertise informs and supports gender-responsive environment projects and initiatives towards sustainable and climate resilient landscapes.
Archived AGENT work

Through AGENT, IUCN developed a platform for climate mitigation practitioners on sharing best practices and lessons learned in mainstreaming gender in renewable energy projects and policies.
AGENT areas of work
Gender-responsive national planning
Working with countries and partners on gender and environment links
Addressing gender-based violence
Advancing knowledge and action on risks and challenges
Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics
Encouraging women and girls in STEM fields
Fisheries
Sustainable fisheries strengthened by gender equality and women’s empowerment
Sustainable landscapes
Addressing the business case for gender equality across large-scale activities
Adaptation and resilience
Strengthening adaptive capacities and preparedness to meet global challenges
Energy and infrastructure
Gender equality to power the global energy transition
Forests and restoration
Improved management and inclusive governance through women’s empowerment
Urban planning
Integrating gender considerations across urban services
AGENT Library
Annual Report
Key Resources
Improve your search in our library
Influencing Action
Thought leadership in action.
AGENT’s outreach and advocacy activities have impact. From influencing investments, to new areas of research and to strengthened environmental policy setting, AGENT makes the case for gender integration across environmental sectors and programming. These impacts help advance gender integration throughout sustainable development initiatives, policies, projects, and partnerships — prioritizing a world that values gender-responsive policy and action.
Has the work of this platform inspired your own research, procurement, policy, or project?
Making the case snapshots
Effective advocacy. Policy influence. Tracking change.
From influencing gender-responsive environmental policy and procurements, to inspiring new incentive funds, IUCN’s work through AGENT works towards a more sustainable and equitable future for all. Review selected examples of change AGENT has influenced: