‘Engendering’ the climate change framework: women leading toward a new paradigm

Gender and Energy Practitioners Meet12-13 December 2011, Amsterdam

Monique Essed FernandesChair, Board of Directors

Presentation outline:I. Intro and backgroundII. Why gender and climate change?III. Advocacy to ‘engender’ the solutionsIV. What works and howV. What’s next

ENERGIA and WEDO have been working together for a number of years, particularly in advocacyat the UN Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD), in the lead-up to Rio+20 and at the UNFramework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Both are members of the Global Gender andClimate Alliance (GGCA) and are committed to ensuring that climate change policies, decision-makingand initiatives at all levels are gender responsive.

WEDO and ENERGIA

Major gender gaps:• Poverty: 26% of adult women live on less than $1/day

(11% men)• Literacy: 75% of 876 million illiterate adults are women• Migration: women are 80% of migrant workforce from

south and southeast Asia • Displacement: 2009 saw highest number of refugees

(43million+), women at least 50%• Food: Women produce up to 80% of world’s food• Land: Women own 2% of the world’s land• Governance: women hold 8% of cabinet positions; 15%

parliaments; 6% heads of state And environmental instability worsens each

Environmental instability:•2.6 bn people around the globe lack access to clean

water and sanitation•1.4 bn people do not have access to electricity• Land degradation impacts ¼ of the global population,

reducing productivity, resulting in migration, food insecurity, resource scarcity, loss of biodiversity

•At the current rate of deforestation, rainforests will disappear in 100 years

•Population to reach 9.1 bn by 2050, at least half in cities, most of which vulnerable to cc

Climate Change

CROP FAILURE

FUEL SHORTAGE

SHORTAGE OF SAFE, CLEAN WATER

RESOURCE SCARCITY

NATURAL DISASTERS

DISEASE

DISPLACEMENT

VIOLENCE / CONFLICT

Impacts on women

Household food provision;Increased agricultural work

Household fuel provision;food-fuel conflicts

Household water provision;exposure to contaminated sources

Economic drawbacks; lack of land tenure; resource-dependent livelihoods; school dropouts, early marriage

Greater incidence of mortality; reduction of life expectancy

Lack of access to healthcare;increased burden of caring for young, sick and elderly

Loss of livelihoods; lack of adequate shelter; conflicts

Loss of livelihoods and lives; sexual violence and trauma

WEDO 2008

Sustainable development framework links

•Rio Earth Summit (UNCED, 1992)• Agenda 21 / Rio Declaration• UN Convention on Biological Diversity (1993)• UN Convention on Combating Desertification (1994)• UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (1994)

Related language from Rio Conventions:

UNCBD UNCCD

• “Encourage, subject to national legislation and consistent with the Convention on Biological Diversity, the effective protection and use of the knowledge, innovations and practices of women of indigenous and local communities……in addition, safeguard the existing intellectual property rights of these women as protected under national and international law; …and encourage fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from the utilization of such knowledge, innovation and practices.” “Recognizing also the vital role that women play in the conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity and affirming the need for the full participation of women at all levels of policy-making and implementation for biological diversity conservation...” “the COP welcomes the development of a Gender Plan of Action under the CBD as presented in the document UNEP/CBD/COP/9/L.4 and invites parties to support the Secretariat in its implementation.”

• “Stressing the important role played by women in regions affected by desertification and/or drought, particularly in rural areas of developing countries, and the importance of ensuring the full participation of both men and women at all levels in programmes to combat desertification and mitigate the effects of drought” “promote awareness and facilitate the participation of local populations, particularly women and youth, with the support of non-governmental organizations, in efforts to combat desertification and mitigate the effects of drought” “provide for effective participation at the local, national and regional levels of non- governmental organizations and local populations, both women and men, particularly resource users, including farmers and pastoralists and their representative organizations, in policy planning, decision-making, and implementation and review of national action programmes”

Related language from the Convention on Climate Change (prior to 2009):

Strategic Approach: Connecting the dots

• Women’s mobilization, participation and leadership• Women in decision-making positions• Women’s solutions, innovations and perspectives at the

forefront• Targeted advocacy gender equality is a prerequisite

for sustainable development

“The benefits of mainstreaming gender in climate change [include] increased awareness, improved capacity, sensitivity to traditional knowledge and risk reduction…” – William Agyemang-Bonsu, Ghana Chief Negotiator

Targeted Advocacy strategy:• In 2009, WEDO partnered with ENERGIA to launch

advocacy team on behalf of GGCA•Comprised of gender and thematic experts from

every region of the world•Analyzed negotiations at every major UNFCCC

meeting (and in between), working with negotiators from their regions

•Drafted specific text on gender that could be integrated into ever-evolving, complex negotiations

Building and sustaining relationships:•Since 2008, work one-on-one with more than 100

Parties•Build capacity of negotiators on critical gender issues•Support building of gender positions, policies and

programs at national level (working with negotiators and implementers at home)

Working with what we know:•Positions based on data•Positions based on examples and best practices•Positions based in context- (country-) specific

experience and need•Positions focused in areas of negotiation most

critical for eventual programming and implementation (e.g. capacity building, adaptation, technology, finance, national adaptation plans)

What worked (so far):• 2008 saw first small group of countries to explore gender

texts• First months of 2009 brought historic achievement: 43+

texts on gender in negotiating docs• Copenhagen outcome documents included 8 references

across multiple areas• Widespread Party support retained in 2010• Cancun Agreements secured eight references to women

and gender across all major sections• Subsidiary Bodies (SBSTA and SBI) included three

references, as well

COP 17 and beyond•Operationalize the Cancun agreements:

• Green Climate Fund: could it be first gender-sensitive climate fund?

• Adaptation Committee: gender a cross-cutting issue?• Technology Mechanism: gender responsive enough?

•Developing guidelines and actions for:• National Adaptation Plans (framework of the NAPs)• REDD+ Safeguard Information Systems (preamble)• Nairobi work programme on impacts, vulnerability and

adaptation (gender is cross-cutting)•With the aim to achieve a paradigm shift to gender

responsive policies and programs

What are we looking forward to

•Women’s mobilization, participation and leadership•Women in decision-making positions•Women’s solutions, innovations and perspectives at the forefront•Targeted advocacy

To make changed paradigms work, women’s organizing is key. Women’s capacity to act, speak, innovate and lead is a driver for sustainable change— and closing the gender gap.

Toward Rio+20 and beyond:•Make more links!

• How do we ensure crosscutting gender responsiveness into the Rio+20 outcome

• Is the nexus model (i.e. water, energy, food) one that could scale up gender responsiveness

• Can we drive coordination of 2012 International Year for Sustainable E nergy for All, CSW 2012 on Rural Women, the MDG Review and the ICPD Review and Rio+20, among others

Breaking thecycle of poverty for women, men and children

What drives our work?

thank youwww.wedo.org+212.973.0325