The National Policy on Gender Equality (PNIG) is a foundational multisectoral instrument designed to address structural discrimination against women in Peru. Grounded in the national Constitution and international conventions, the policy identifies gender inequality as a significant barrier to achieving sustainable development. The Ministry of Women and Vulnerable Populations is tasked with its overall direction and evaluation, with the policy's objectives strategically aligned with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The PNIG’s core purpose is to dismantle the systemic causes of inequality affecting women by integrating a gender perspective across all domains of public administration.
A distinctive feature of the policy is its explicit recognition of the nexus between gender vulnerability and climate change. It identifies the increasing risk of natural disasters as a critical national challenge, positing that the impacts of climate change are not gender-neutral but disproportionately affect women, thereby limiting their adaptive capacity. Consequently, the PNIG mandates the integration of a gender perspective into all national and sub-national policies related to disaster risk management and climate change adaptation. This approach is designed to work in concert with Peru's Gender and Climate Change Action Plan, seeking to ensure that climate resilience strategies are equitable and to promote the effective participation of women in decision-making processes concerning environmental governance.
