This virtual seminar aimed to raise awareness of public and private stakeholders on the issue of gender-conscious climate change policy; as well as promoting exchanges among relevant policy makers, climate negotiators, from developing and developed countries, staff from relevant international organizations and civil society representatives.
Across all societies, there are huge disparities with the way in which various human and non-human endeavours affect men and women. Climate change is a planetary phenomenon that will impact all countries, but its effects are being shaped by pervasive and entrenched gender inequality. Climate change is one way in which the gender disparities in the world are being exposed. Women generally suffer the greater amount of effects and climate change has not left women unscathed by its effects. They are affected more by climate change as they primarily rely on natural resources for their survival. Further, women face social, economic and political barriers that make disaster coping mechanisms more difficult to implement.
Women are agents of positive change in climate change policies such that their involvement and input in the decision and policy making would result in a desirable change in meeting the climate change goals. However, women are more than often being left out of (climate) policy at their country level. The specific impacts they are facing are more than often not appropriately reflected in climate policies and implementation planning.
New environmental problems need new environmental management tools and policies, as well as implementation mechanisms. Today’s global environmental problems, such as climate change, need different approaches to policymaking and implementation, which should be more inclusive and more gender-conscious.
CUTS International, Geneva has recently published a study on “Climate change policies: Tools towards more gender equality?”, of which the main findings were shared during this event.
This virtual seminar raised awareness of public and private stakeholders on the issue of gender-conscious climate change policy; and promoted exchanges among relevant policy makers, climate negotiators, from developing and developed countries, staff from relevant international organizations and civil society representatives.