The Voluntary Carbon Market is rapidly growing in scale and impact. An increasing number of Corporates globally are taking voluntary action to off-set their residual green house gas emissions as they transition to 'Net Zero'. The investments that they make cross a range of sectors such as prevention of deforestation, reforestation, sustainable agriculture and protection and management of other natural eco-systems, as well as techncial solutions such as renewable energy. Many of these investments are in the Global South. The current drive for higher integrity and for linking carbon markets to sustainable development outcomes offers opportunities for carbon mitigation activities to contribute to sustainable development as well as to CO2 emission reductions or removals.

Historically carbon markets have largely ignored the links between climate action and gender equality. The report, 'Integrating a Gender Lens in Voluntary Carbon Markets' was funded by the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCDO) under the ASEAN Low Carbon Energy Programme (LCEP) and was authored by Sue Phillips of Gender Tech with Olivia Jenkins of Social Development Direct with colleagues from DT Global and Ernst and Young.

The report looks at the current state of the Voluntary Carbon Market with regard to gender , and how a gender lens can be actively integrated into market operations to ensure that women benefit equitably. The report is made up of three volumes:

The Executive Summary (Vol I)

The Main Report (Volume II)

Appendices of a set of tools and resources (Volume III)