Gender perspective in relation to climate change and the UNFCCC negotiations

1. Gender perspective in relation to climate change and the UNFCCC negotiations Martha Chouchena-Rojas Civil Society Towards COP5 12-15 May Copenhagen

2. Gender aspects critical for social and economic aspects of UNFCCC (Preamble, Art.2. Art.3): measures contributing to social development, economic growth, eradication of poverty, food production economic development contributing to adopting measures to address climate change Specific relations between gender and climate change, both in terms of: Vulnerability Contributions of women as agents of change Gender: key in social considerations of climate change

3. Impacts are gender-differentiated Although climate change impacts will affect all countries, its impacts will be differently distributed among different regions, generations, age classes, income groups, occupations and genders (IPCC, 2007) Climate change is likely to magnify existing patterns of gender disadvantage (2007 Human Development report) • The poor will be disproportionately affected. 70% of poor are women. (Drexhage, 2006)

4. Gender inequalities, vulnerability and climate change Vulnerability depends in large part on the assets available: the more assets, the less vulnerable a person is • The majority of the 1.3 billion people living in the deepest levels poverty worldwide are women • Women produce 1/2 the world’s food; in rural areas, women produce 60-80% of staple crops • Women earn only 10% of the world’s income and own less than 2% of property

5. Gender inequalities, vulnerability and climate change Worlwide, compared to men, women tend to have more limited access to ressources that would enhance their capacity to adapt to climate change • Evidence that gender differences in deaths from natural disasters are directly linked to women’s economic and social rights • In the major disasters of the past two decades, the female mortality rate has reached 55-90% of total deaths

6. Impacts on women CROP FAILURE Household food provision; Increased agricultural work Household fuel provision; food-fuel conflicts FUEL SHORTAGE Household water provision; exposure to contaminated sources SHORTAGE OF SAFE, CLEAN WATER Climate Change Economic drawbacks; lack of land tenure; resource-dependent livelihoods; school dropouts, early marriage RESOURCE SCARCITY Greater incidence of mortality; reduction of life expectancy NATURAL DISASTERS Lack of access to healthcare; increased burden of caring for young, sick and elderly DISEASE Loss of livelihoods; lack of adequate shelter; conflicts DISPLACE-MENT Loss of livelihoods and lives; sexual violence and trauma CIVIL WAR / CONFLICT The Impacts of Climate Change on Women WEDO 2008

7. Impacts on sustainable development Increased climate related risk and associated losses are exhacerbating existing inequalities and gender inequality is among the most pervasive. Existing inequalities in turn increase vulnerability and exposure to risk This spiral undermines efforts towards sustainable development and the ability to achieve the MDGs

8. Women’s perspectives matter:leaders, innovators, organizers, agents for change Oxfam • Women from many indigenous communities possess repertoires of coping strategies: • In Peru, Araguana women plant more than 60 varieties of manioc • In Rwanda, women are reported to produce more than 600 varieties of beans • Women play critical role in forest management (e.g. Green Belt Movement) and agriculture • In some OECD countries women make 80% of consumption decisions

9. Connection between gender equality and sustainable development is not new Nearly every major global agreement now includes a gender component: United Nations Declaration on Human Rights (1948) Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) (1979) Convention on Biodiversity (1992) Chapter 24 of Agenda 21 (UNCED 1992) World Conference on Human Rights (1993) International Conference on Population and Development (1994) Convention to Combat Desertification (1994) World Summit for Social Development (1995) Beijing Platform for Action (1995) Millennium Declaration (2000) Johannesburg Plan of Action (2002) Hyogo Framework for Action (2005) ECOSOC Res. on Mainstreaming a Gender Perspective into all Policies and Programmes in the UN System (2005/31) UN Convention on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (2007)

10. Gender and international framework for disaster reduction Hyogo Framework for Action (2005): « A gender perspective should be integrated into all disaster risk management policies, plans and decision-making processes, including those related to risk assessment, early warning, information management, and education and training »

11. Gender and the UNFCCC: despite facts… • Gender not properly incorporated in international and national policies and initiatives • main tools and measures on mitigation and adaptation don’t reach the most affected populations, including women • women have not been afforded equal opportunity to participate in decision making at all levels Bonn Climate Change Talks, UNFCCC

12. Towards COP15: key points for negotiations • Prioritization of vulnerable populations in evaluation of impacts, measures taken and access to financing, capacity building and technologies • Participation in decision making, planning and implementation at all levels • Drawing upon women’s capacities as agents of change in the development and implementation of measures • Getting appropriate data – at every level

13. Long term vision (LCA) BAP: A shared vision should include a long-term goal and take “into account social and economic conditions and other relevant factors” (Dec 1(CP.13 1 (a)) • Comprehensive long-term cooperative action needs to be based on relevant scientific, technical, social and economic considerationsand regularly re-evaluated in the light of new findings in these areas • Effective and responsive implementation requiresthat gender considerations and gender balanced participation be incorporated at all levels

14. Adaptation (LCA) Adaptation framework (including adaptation plans and disaster risk management, early warning) should: • Be responsive to the differentiated needs of women and men, recognizing that “women, children and the poor”are among the most disproportionately affected • Draw upon the capacities of women and men through gender-balanced participation to ensure optimum implementation of policies and programmes, in alignment with Hyogo Framework for Action • Besupported by adequate financial, technological and capacity building resources, prioritizing most vulnerable groups

15. Nairobi Work Programme (SBSTA): important for future adaptation framework • Need to determine further action/ guidance to ensure that gender considerations are included in work area on adaptation planning and practices, e.g. in: • Integration of practices, tools and systems for climate risk assessment and management and disaster risk reductions strategies, drawing from Hyogo • Scaling up local and community-based adaptation • Developing guidance on socio-economic information needs and integration into assessments, including gender-disaggregated data on impacts, vulnerability and contributions • Enhancing understanding of and guidance on research needs including social and economic aspects

16. Mitigation (LCA) • Ambitious emissions reductions are required in accordance with the provisions of the Convention and the Bali Action Plan, ensuring that both men and women can contribute to and benefit from a low-emissions pathway that does not compromise but fosters sustainable development • Enhancing women’s access to policy approaches and positive incentives in, inter alia, conservation, sustainable forest management and enhancement of forest carbon stocks

17. REDD+ AWG-LCA • Mechanism should ensure gender balanced access to design and implementation of REDD activities, decision-making and funding (BAP) • Guidance needs to be developed drawing from 23-24 March Bonn expert meeting with special emphasis on + aspect of REDD SBSTA • Include gender aspects under methodological work of SBSTA building on SBSTA29 guidance, noting the importance of: • Promoting readiness • Recognizing need to promote the full participation of indigenous peoples and local communities • Exploring co-benefits

18. Financing (LCA) Technology (LCA) • Delivery of funds should prioritize vulnerable groups, including women, through appropriate guidelines and criteria, especially gender indicators to demonstrate progress towards targets • Technology transfer and capacity-building should prioritize vulnerable groups, including women, to enhance women’s and men’s innovative capacity

19. Data and analysis Sex-disaggregated data and gender analysis should be used at all levels to identify and assess needs and contributions of women and men, and enhance the livelihoods of both equally, thus enabling all of society to optimize mitigation strategies and adapt to climate change

20. Global enabling framework needed Gender needs to be included explicitly at global level in the international post 2012 framework to ensure that action required at national and local levels to respond to climate change and to achieve sustainable development is enabled and supported

21. For more information: martha@gender-climate.org Global Gender and Climate Alliance (GGCA) www.gender-climate.org info@gender-climate.org Women’s Environment & Development Organization (WEDO) www.wedo.org