WOCAN Womens Carbon Standard: Leveraging Carbon Finance for Womens Empowerment

Purpose

create a Womens Empowerment Carbon Standard : a social standard that quantifies the benefits of increasing womens inclusion in the carbon offset and renewable energy project creation value chain, and endorses and rewards those processes or projects that create increased direct or indirect economic benefits to women.

What is WOCANs Womens Empowerment Carbon Standard?

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an innovative means to use the voluntary carbon market to provide social and economic benefits that enhance rural womens empowerment through climate change mitigation and adaptation activities.

- a unique certification label that creates a standard for endorsing carbon offset or renewable energy projects that promote womens empowerment and sustainable development.

It endorses and rewards those processes or projects that create increased direct or indirect economic and social benefits to women through:
v enhanced forest and agriculture landscapes v renewable energy resources v time and labour saving devices

Rationale
1. Public sources of project financing are increasingly directing project developers to incorporate standards of womens empowerment and/or gender equality into the project development cycle, as more evidence suggests that project outcomes improve where gender is considered. However, currently all carbon standards neglect the issue of equitable distribution of revenues to stakeholders.

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Private sources of project financing, mobilized through the global carbon markets, are also seeking out projects with gender inclusive standards, as co-benefits.

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There is an increasingly accepted belief that strengthening womens involvement in agriculture and forestry will provide social and economic benefits, and that women are reliable and less risky for investors.
if women in rural areas had the same access to land, technology, financial services, education and markets as men, agricultural production could be increased and the number of hungry people reduced by 100-150 million. (FAO, 2011)

Attracting Capital: Creating a WOCAN Womens Carbon Label

unique opportunity to monetize revenue in the boutique markets of social carbon. carbon offset standards currently offered in the marketplace do not fully capture the potential to promote womens empowerment . CSR buyers are interested in stories, similiar to those of Fair Trade products.

WOCAN Goals and Objectives

1. 2. Endorse carbon offset projects that have met a set of standards for womens empowerment. Advise project developers on ways to incorporate standards of womens empowerment in all phases of the project development cycle. Educate stakeholder and market players on the importance of promoting womens empowerment in the carbon offset marketplace. Create capital flow for women centric projects that both investors and disadvantaged women can benefit from economically. Support pilot projects that utilise Womens Carbon Standard

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Thank you.

jeannettegurung@wocan.org www.wocan.org