“We are all in the same canoe”: Assessing the effectiveness of multilateral climate finance in reducing gendered vulnerabilities to climate change in Melanesia and Polynesia

Gender-responsive climate finance is growing in prominence, yet remains under-examined in academic research – particularly in the context of Small Island Developing States (SIDS). This research addresses this gap by applying a mixed-methods approach to analysing climate finance projects in Melanesia and Polynesia. A novel Gender-Responsiveness Index (GRI) was developed through content analysis to assess the quality of gender integration in project design. This was paired with econometric analysis to evaluate how gender-responsive design influences real-world gender outcomes. The findings reveal significant variation in gender-responsiveness across funds, countries, and project characteristics. Stronger gender integration in design was generally associated with stronger gender-related outcomes, but not all dimensions - such as capacity building or gender-specific funding - were equally influential. Finally, the study finds clear evidence that gender integration in climate finance has improved since the 2014 Lima Work Programme, underscoring the importance of international policy frameworks in driving progress.