Women - agents of real change

Today, a march by more than 100 women will focus attention on five key reasons why gender equality should be highlighted in the text of a good climate agreement in Copenhagen.
1. Women are often the key providers of food, water, and fuel in their communities. They provide up to 90% of food crops for the rural poor. They care for children, the sick, and elderly, and oversee the family’s assets. As a result, women have direct knowledge about effective and innovative solutions. They know how to address resource constraints and respond to erratic environmental changes.
2. Women’s empowerment is crucial to sustainable development. Women lead some of the most progressive efforts in response to environmental degradation and climate change impacts, even as their voices are often marginalized. Wangari Maathai started the global Green Belt movement to plant trees in Kenya, and entered into an agreement with the World Bank to reforest regions of Kenya and secure significant emissions reductions -- and that success is only one of many.
3. Women are disproportionately affected by climate change. Women make up an estimated 70% of those living below poverty line; they have less access to resources; and they are more likely to die than men during natural disasters. Additionally, women typically lack access to essential services after disasters strike.
4. Of all the legally binding agreements that resulted from the 1992 Earth Summit, the UNFCCC is the only one not to incorporate gender issues. In contrast, the Convention on Biological Diversity has incorporated a gender plan of action that recognizes women’s traditional knowledge and access to land assets.
5. Women are not adequately represented in the UNFCCC negotiation process. In 2006, the percentage of female heads of delegation was about 15%, declining to a mere 12% the following year. Every global initiative must seek to provide opportunities for women to engage as principal stakeholders and help them build capacity in their communities and countries. Currently there are 23 strong references to women and gender equity in the AWG-LCA INF.2 text. Iceland, along with other Nordic countries, emerged early on as the biggest champion on these issues and they have been joined by strong statements from the African Group and Least Developed Countries, the Philippines and Central American countries.Gender equality is integral to sustainable development and poverty eradication goals, and is essential to effective implementation of Copenhagen’s outcome. Let’s keep building ambitious text on gender.