Gender Definition Fuels Diplomatic Clash at COP30 in Belém

The COP30 climate talks in Belém have been thrown into political turmoil after six governments attached interpretive footnotes to a core draft text, seeking to qualify the meaning of "gender" in the revised Gender Action Plan (GAP).

Delegates say Paraguay, Argentina, Iran, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Holy See appended notes that would limit recognition of transgender and non-binary people, a move negotiators warn could set a damaging precedent for future UN climate decisions. A source close to the negotiations, speaking on condition of anonymity, said there is "frustration within rooms" and added: "It's become a bit ridiculous — we have six footnotes right now; should we have 90?"

Mexico's environment secretary, Alicia Bárcena, rejected the footnotes as backward: "We do not agree at all with what some countries are putting in the agenda footnotes. We feel we are going backwards — we should never go backwards."

Brazil's COP30 presidency has elevated the dispute from technical discussions to ministerial-level talks as negotiators seek a political compromise. At stake is a revamped Gender Action Plan intended to guide climate work for the next decade and mainstream gender across climate programs.

The United Nations has long warned that women and girls face disproportionate impacts from climate change because they make up the majority of the world's poor and often depend heavily on local natural resources for their livelihoods. Despite repeated commitments, women currently make up only 35 percent of delegates at COP30 in Belém, according to the Women's Environment and Development Organization (WEDO).

The first formal GAP was adopted in 2017 and strengthened in 2019; COP30 aims to finalize a more ambitious version. The contested footnotes reveal core red lines some parties are unwilling to cross on the term "gender" — positions rooted in longstanding national policies and amplified by a broader backlash against so-called "wokeism."

Opposition and concerns

The Holy See has stated that it understands gender as "grounded on the biological sexual identity that is male and female." Some governments, including Argentina's current administration, have moved to roll back gender-equality measures and LGBT rights, citing objections to what they describe as cultural impositions.

Critics argue that allowing parties to append interpretive footnotes to agreed language would fragment multilateral decision-making. Bridget Burns, executive director of WEDO, warned: "Allowing countries to attach their own interpretations to agreed language does not protect national sovereignty. It undermines multilateralism itself. If every Party could footnote core terms like finance, ambition or equity, we would have no negotiation left — only fragmentation. Gender equality is an agreed principle under this Convention — it needs no qualification."

Delegates say one practical compromise would be to allow dissenting parties to record formal statements after a decision is adopted so their positions are included in the official proceedings without altering the agreed text.

As ministers meet to seek a resolution, negotiators say the outcome will test whether the UN climate process can preserve agreed principles while accommodating divergent national views without weakening collective action.