Achievement of the Millennium Development Goals requires urgent action to address land and forest
degradation, chemical pollution, water scarcity and contamination, loss of biodiversity and lack of access
to sustainable energy resources. These critical environment and energy concerns are clearly linked to
widespread poverty and threats to global security.
What is not always so clear is the interplay between environmental, energy and sustainable development
issues and pervasive inequalities between men and women in terms of rights, responsibilities and opportunities.
But in fact gender inequalities help to perpetuate poverty and hunger, as well as injustice in the
world, and failure to recognise and address that fact undermines efforts to promote sustainable livelihoods
and healthy ecosystems.
This training manual is intended to help build greater understanding among UNDP staff and UNDP
partners concerning the essential gender dimensions involved in ensuring environmental and energy
sustainability.