Forum FER is this month’s MULTISOURCE partner

Can you tell us about your role in the MULTISOURCE project?

I am the gender expert in MULTISOURCE. My role is to raise awareness and shape methodologies and mechanisms to ensure that all activities that take place within the project take into consideration the fact that men, women and other people do not have the same possibilities and opportunities in the societies that we live in, which consequently means that nature-based solutions (NBS) can have different impact on them. It is thus important to ensure that when planning, implementing, monitoring and evaluating NBS, these differences are taken into consideration in order to maximise their impact on the society and its members, as well as to prevent increased societal inequalities.

Which challenges do we need to overcome for the successful integration of nature-based solutions in our city planning?

NBS work with nature with the aim of providing benefits both for natural ecosystems and the people that depend on them. While in theory they are designed and implemented in cooperation with and with the consent of local communities, in practice environmental aspects are often given more priority compared to the societal dimension of NBS. As they are not inherently socially just, it is important to apply social equality mechanisms when planning, implementing, monitoring and evaluating them. By doing so, synergies between human well-being, including gender equality, and ecosystem benefits can be maximised.

What do you think are the main benefits the project brings forward and in which areas are you expecting MULTISOURCE to have an impact?

The nexus between NBS and gender is not a very well researched area. There is more analysis and projects focusing on this aspect in countries of the Global South, whereas most often in countries of the Global North we do not pay much attention to it, despite the fact that gender inequalities persist and have actually increased due to COVID-19. Climate change and energy poverty have already proven to affect women in Europe to a larger extent. MULTISOURCE will thus bring very much needed insight into this nexus.