Deliverable 8.4 White Paper: Gender Dimension of Arctic Observing Systems (T8.4)

Arctic PASSION is a Horizon 2020-funded project that seeks to address the urgent need for coordinated and accessible Earth observation and information services for the Arctic regions. It aims to overcome existing fragmentation, disconnection, and critical shortcomings in past elements of the current observing network through the advancement of a co-created, innovative and fully integrated pan-Arctic Observing System of Systems (pan-AOSS) that represents a diversity of needs, user-groups, and decision-makers. Working under the SAON framework, and in partnership with rights- and stakeholders, Arctic PASSION seeks to strengthen international scientific observations, community-based monitoring, and Indigenous knowledge and local knowledge within an observing system.

Within the project, Work Package 8 (WP8) synthesizes the outputs of all Arctic PASSION activities to ensure that their legacy benefits Arctic peoples, the European community, and the wider world. One of its specific objectives has been to build a foundation for the inclusion a gender dimension in Arctic observing, now and in the future. While the inclusion of a gender-dimension was not a requirement under the Horizon 2020 framework, as it is now under the Horizon Europe framework, Arctic PASSION was advanced in its adoption of a gender lens.

With this foundational objective in mind, this white paper examines how the inclusion of a gender dimension can enhance a pan-Arctic Observing System of Systems (pan-AOSS). The research is based on a review of existing scholarship, an analysis of the global and Arctic data landscapes, and a detailed application of a gender lens to methodologies used in the Arctic PASSION project. A central finding is the persistent lack of gender- and sex-disaggregated data in the Arctic, which mirrors global challenges and significantly impedes the creation of inclusive policies. Existing observing systems are often "gender-blind," treating communities as homogeneous entities and frequently prioritizing men's observations and knowledge, which renders the experiences and contributions of women and persons of other genders invisible. The paper underscores that while gender is a socially constructed concept, its profound influence on how individuals observe, interpret, and respond to environmental changes makes it an essential consideration for effective and equitable environmental policy options.