News

UNIFEM and Gender Advocates Call for Gender-Responsive Action on Climate Change

Date: 31 October 2008

More than 200 representatives from women and climate-related non-governmental organizations and United Nations entities, as well as numerous parliamentarians from around the world adopted the Manila Declaration for Global Action on Gender, Climate Change and Disaster Risk Reduction on 22 October, which provides specific recommendations intended to advance gender-responsive climate change mitigation, adaption and disaster risk reduction policies and strategies.

The Declaration was the culmination of the 3rd Global Congress of Women in Politics and Governance, organized by the Center of Asia-Pacific Women in Politics (CAPWIP), on 19–22 October 2008 — a forum that enabled advocates to share their experiences and expertise, and outline regional priorities for gender-responsive climate change policies. Congress participants committed to bring the Declaration forward to Governments and stakeholders involved in major upcoming climate change negotiations, including the United Nations Climate Change Conferences in Poznan, Poland (1–12 Dec 2008) and Copenhagen, Denmark (30 Nov – 11 Dec 2009), as well as the Second Session of the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction in Geneva, Switzerland (15–19 June 2009). This comes at a seminal moment, as climate change funding mechanisms are emerging and post-Kyoto negotiations are underway.

In addition to UNIFEM, CAPWIP engaged numerous key partners in the Congress, including the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the Coordinating Committee on Women Parliamentarians of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU/CCWP), the Global Gender and Climate Alliance (GGCA), the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), the UN Development Programme (UNDP), the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), the UN International Strategies for Disaster Risk Reduction (UN-ISDR), and the Women's Environment and Development Organization (WEDO).

The gender dimension of climate change is gaining visibility as the stakes of climate change become increasingly clear. As in other social, political and economic arenas, embedded gender differences — including divisions of labour, resources and power — directly impact women’s political voice, economic opportunity, health, education, and access to information. Gender inequality impacts every aspect of women’s lives, including those related to climate change, as the most vulnerable groups will suffer most.

Over the next century, the projected rise in average global temperature and sea levels is expected to have various foreseeable and unforeseeable impacts on the environment and humanity. In brief, these include more frequent and intense natural disasters; diminishing fresh water due to rapid glacial melt, droughts, desertification and increased salinity of fresh water sources as sea water infiltrates groundwater; increased scarcity and degradation of natural resources and arable land; loss of biodiversity; and relocation or spread of species and diseases. Combined and in isolation, these circumstances will be challenging for individuals, communities and states, placing economic development and human rights at risk.

For more information on the 3rd Global Congress of Women in Politics and Governance, please visit the CAPWIP website.