ARA and Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI): An assessment of ARA operations

Summary

Amid the growing need for climate-smart, adaptation-focused research and action, the need to implement research imperatives that mainstream gender equality and social inclusion (GESI) is also increasing. One of the ARA’s core impacts is building social resilience, in which reducing climate risk is undertaken to achieve societal progress for the most vulnerable populations.

The ARA Secretariat, formerly hosted by SouthSouthNorth, serves as a coordination mechanism for Members and advocates for informed, action-oriented research that supports adaptation and resilience at the global level.

As a global collaborative, the ARA is strategically placed to facilitate and enable informed research planning, as well as collaboration, peer-learning and partnership across its global membership; in doing so, the ARA facilitates increased investment and capacity for action-oriented research that supports effective adaptation to climate change – primarily in developing countries – at the scale and urgency demanded by the science. The ARA membership is global, spanning regions including Europe, Africa, Asia-Pacific, North America, Latin America, and the Caribbean.

Aligning with the ARA’s values and Adaptation Research for Impact principles, the ARA has solidified its ongoing commitment to gender equality and social inclusion (GESI) by commissioning the development of a GESI Strategy to guide its work with and for ARA members.

The first steps in developing a relevant and impactful GESI strategy are to conduct an institutional assessment of the ARA to identify its key GESI needs and functions, as well as the needs and priorities of the ARA membership.

To inform the GESI Strategy, an assessment of ARA internal and external operations was undertaken, including a review of principles and guiding policies, organisational structure; this internal review was complemented by a survey of the ARA’s membership, which provided insight into the membership’s previous, current and expected engagement with the ARA as it pertains to gender equality and social inclusion.