Friday, December 16th 2011

Since the COP17 climate talks ended at around 5am last Sunday in Durban, South Africa, many people have been asking the same question: was it a success? Analysts from government, media and NGOs seem to be taking one of two stances: “it was a good step forward” (for example, the official UNFCCC Press Release: “Durban conference delivers breakthrough in international community’s response to climate change”) or “it failed to deliver what is needed” (as in the WWF Press Release: “Governments fail on ambition, courage at UN climate change talks”)

At WEDO, an organization that has pushed for gender issues to be integrated throughout the climate debates for a number of years, we have been asking ourselves how to measure both the successes and failures of COP17.

In our recap of the first week in Durban, we pondered the increased “buzz” around the linkages between gender and climate change, which percolated the side events and stands at COP17, and what real effect this would have on an outcome. We questioned whether the many good words spoken at the 30+ women and gender-related side events and high-level activities would actually inspire meaningful action. Isn’t this the point, after all? Turning words (and lots of them) into action to save our planet? Isn’t that the key indicator of success?

Part of the Global Gender and Climate Alliance (GGCA), at COP17 WEDO continued to coordinate an advocacy team that spent the better part of two weeks running from meeting to meeting at the ICC, providing text suggestions to delegates, holding side events, etc., all to make sure that women and gender equality issues were being taken into account in the draft texts. In her excellent article Negotiating gender-sensitive Climate Policy, advocacy team partner, Agnes Otzelberger from CARE International, aptly described this work “…we have been populating the aisles around the inner sanctums of the climate talks, getting hold of the latest drafts and submitting suggested amendments to ensure text includes the term ‘gender-sensitive’. Packaged in this term is the ambition for global responses to climate change to include, benefit and reflect the needs and priorities of poor men and women worldwide – in other words, to ensure these responses do not perpetuate or widen gender inequalities by missing out on large parts of the people who are part of the solution.”

And in Durban, there was some success in that respect: references to women and gender were secured across several areas— in countries’ guidelines for National Adaptation Plans (NAPs); in the Nairobi Work Programme that assesses impacts, vulnerability and adaptation to climate change; information systems on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+); and in the operationalization of the Cancún Agreements, including the Green Climate Fund, the Adaptation Committee, the Standing Committee on Finance, and the Technology Mechanism. [Click here for a full compilation of women and gender references.]

Achieving references to gender in both the Green Climate Fund and the Climate Technology Centre and Network represent significant progress, as these were often areas where gender considerations – and moreover social considerations – had been largely ignored. Wide collaborative advocacy and coordinated activism – by organizations such as WEDO, ENERGIA, Gender Action, Heinrich Boell, Oxfam, ABANTU, CARE International, GACCES, Equidad de Genero, VIDS, the UNDP Gender Team, UN Women, and the partners of the Women and Gender Constituency, to name just a few – supported many ally governments to make this advancement toward gender equality an outcome of Durban worthy of celebration.

But can we deem “The Durban Package” a success? As the problems of climate change become ever more urgent, the UNFCCC process, which itself is dependent on the political will of countries to address these issues, has resulted in another delay to real solutions. In the early morning of December 11^th, two days after the talks were scheduled to conclude, countries agreed upon a process from 2012 to 2015 to “develop a protocol, another legal instrument or an agreed outcome with legal force under the UNFCCC applicable to all Parties” which would come into effect after 2020. The legally binding agreement which many had hoped to achieve in 2009 at COP15 has now been pushed to 2015. Climate Action Tracker estimates that the current level of ambition towards cutting emissions will result in a 3.5°C increase in global mean temperatures by 2100 and essentially guarantee a temperature increase of 2°C. This will result in irreversible ecosystem changes affecting the lives of billions of individuals.

What has yet to be seen are true and ambitious efforts to develop an agreement that will save the lives of the millions of women and men who are already suffering the impacts of climate change and the generations to come who will suffer even more. Tireless work to ensure women’s rights and gender equality remain at the heart of climate policy is severely diminished – perhaps even worthless – if words cannot be turned into real action.

At the end of the day, it is hard to measure successes or failures if none of the efforts of this process actually help to improve the lives of the people most severely impacted by climate change. We have now seen two COPs after Copenhagen “successfully” save the process, but unfortunately for all of us, we’re running out of time to actually save the lives of billions of people, to protect our environment and to ensure our future.

WEDO at COP17

Thursday, Dec 8 – 18:00-19:30, EU Pavilion – Warsaw Room

This event will showcase successes achieved under the GGCA umbrella as well as bilateral cooperation through the Governments of Finland, Iceland, and South Africa, demonstrating best practice examples and strategies for successfully integrating gender perspective into international and national-level actions on climate change.

Moderator
Janet Kabeberi-Macharia, Senior Gender Adviser, UNEP

Opening Remarks
Hon. Ville Niinistö, Minister of Environment, Government of Finland

GGCA Actions, Results and Lessons Learned

Lorena Aguilar
Global Senior Gender Adviser, IUCN

Monique Essed-Fernandes
Board Chair, WEDO

Patience Damptey
Women Delegates Fund (WDF), Ghana

François Rogers
Special Advisor to the Gender Office, IUCN

Winnie Byanyima
Director, UNDP Gender Team

Merlyn Van Voore
Program Officer, UNEP – Finance Initiative

Government Leadership on Gender and Climate Change

Mr. Hugi Olafsson
Director, Office of Policy & International Affairs, Ministry for the Environment, Iceland

Mr. Zane Dangor
Special Adviser to the Minister of Social Development, South Africa

Hon. Lulu Xingwana
Minister of Women, Children and People with Disabilities, South Africa

WEDO at COP17

Wednesday, November 30th

On Wednesday, CARE International and the Women’s Environment and Development Organization (WEDO) teamed up to host an interactive discussion to explore the complexities of vulnerability from a gender perspective. At the event, a lively group of participants broke into four working groups to discuss climate change adaptation and vulnerability within the scope of a) International policy b) National policy c) Practitioners d) Thematic areas including health, energy and technology. Each group then reported back on key recommendations for developing an adaptation framework which works for all. Some key recommendations included- increased capacity and awareness raising for government officials; gender budgeting at the national level; and systems and methods to house knowledge on adaptation which can be accessed by people at the local level and which works to translate solutions to the national and global policy levels.

Thursday, December 1st

The conversation from the adaptation side event was so rich that WEDO and CARE along with GGCA decided to continue the dialogue the following day with a “Lunchtime Q&A” as part of its activities with the Adaptation Hub. The talk was very well attended and the focus was on connecting research to research needs on the ground and understanding what types of tools and models are best practice for translating knowledge on adaptation to all levels, particularly to the local and grassroots level.

WEDO at COP17

Thursday, Dec. 1st 2011

On Thursday, WEDO Advocacy Coordinator Rachel Harris joined a panel session at the COP17 “Digital Lounge” for an event organized by the World Health Organization (WHO) to highlight the linkages between gender, health and climate change. As climate change increases the frequency of droughts, reduces agricultural output and contributes to the rise of extreme weather events, women are on the front lines of climate vulnerability. This vulnerability extends into the health sector, making women particularly vulnerable to a range of health burdens spurred by climate change.

Other panelists included Natalie Eddy, GGCA Coordinator and Ellen Duzah, ABANTU and member of GGCA Advocacy Team.

Also, in preparation for COP17, the Public Health Institute: The Center for Public Health and Climate Change, released an important paper on Women’s Leadership in Climate Adaptation; entitled “ENHANCING WOMEN’S LEADERSHIP: TO ADDRESS THE CHALLENGES OF CLIMATE CHANGE ON NUTRITION SECURITY AND HEALTH”.

• Finding a way forward for the 2^nd commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol,
• Closing the gap between Annex 1 emission reduction pledges and action,
• Defining fair and transparent measures to account for emissions reductions,
• Developing methodologies for monitoring, reporting, and verification (MRVs),
• Operationalizing the Adaption Framework, the Green Climate Fund, the Technology Mechanism, and REDD+.

• Bridget Burns, Women Delegates Fund/ Media & Communications, bridget@wedo.org
• Rachel Harris, Advocacy Coordinator, rachel@wedo.org
• Andrea Quesada, Advocacy Team, Forestry Issues, andrea@wedo.org
• Eleanor Blomstrom, Climate Change Programs/ Rio+20 Lead, eleanor@wedo.org
• Sandra Freitas, Climate Policy Specialist, sandra@wedo.org

On Thursday November 3rd 2011, Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA) introduced a Congressional resolution to bring attention to the greater economic, agricultural, and health-related hardships faced by women arising from climate change.  H.Con.Res. 84 recognizes the disparate impact of climate change on women and the efforts of women globally to address this issue. The Resolution was referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.

From the official posting on her website, Representative Lee remarks: “The direct and indirect effects of climate change continue to have a disproportionate impact on marginalized women, including refugee and displaced persons, sexual minorities, religious and ethnic minorities, adolescent girls, women and girls with disabilities and those who are HIV positive,” said Congresswoman Lee. “While women are bearing the brunt of climate change’s effects, they are often underrepresented in the development of climate change adaptation policy. This is unacceptable.”

Co-Sponsors of this Resolution included:

Representative Lee has long been an advocate for women’s rights, and particularly the impacts women face from climate change. On April 2, 2009, alongside Betty McCollum (D-MN) and Anna Eshoo (D-CA), she introduced Resolution H.R. 98  on the same topic.

To follow this Resolution, click here.

Tell Barbara Lee @RepBarbaraLee that just as she stands behind women affected by climate change, we stand behind her!

Prepared by the Nigerian Environmental Study/Action Team’s (NEST) as a part of the Building Nigeria’s Response to Climate Change (BNRCC) Project, the new publication “Gender and Climate Change Adaptation Tools for Community-Level Action in Nigeria” presents a gender-sensitive approach to climate change adaptation in Nigeria, a country whose people are experiencing and reacting to changes in rainfall patterns, storm surges, and increased heat. 

The impacts of climate change, whether they are gradual changes on natural resources and agriculture or more cataclysmic events like flood, are felt differently by either gender.   This report effectively charts climate change impacts on women in Nigeria and their current strategies for adaptation.  For example: In Nigeria, some wells are drying up, forcing women and children to travel further to collect water and firewood.  Women’s strategies for adapting to water insecurity include harvesting rainwater and purchasing water from vendors.    

The publication also provides roadmaps to ensure gender integration in all stages and aspects of climate change projects and policy across Nigeria and examines the effectiveness of BNRCC pilot projects. We were particularly interested to read the case studies of these projects which take a look at, amongst other things, the establishment of a fish farm in coastal Nigeria whose operations and proceeds will be managed by a committee of men and women, and the use of fuel-efficient closed chamber wood stoves for cooking in a rural forest community.  Tools for ensuring gender integration into climate change projects and policy include:

• The Gender Equality Framework, a framework to support the mainstreaming of gender in climate change projects
• The Gender Integration Checklist, to be used as a guide for ensuring gender mainstreaming at different project phases
• The Gender-Sensitive Stakeholder Analysis, which illuminates the different roles men and women play in a project, and how the project affects them
• The Gender Monitoring Matrix, a monitoring system that uses quantitative and qualitative indicators in matrix or table form

To download the report, click here.

New York, September 9th 2011– WEDO is proud to present a new joint publication with Gender Action and Oxfam: “Governing Climate Funds: What Will Work for Women?”

As the international community mobilizes in response to global climatic changes, climate funds must ensure the equitable and effective allocation of funds for the world’s most vulnerable populations. Women and girls, disproportionately vulnerable to negative climate change impacts in developing countries, have largely been excluded from climate change finance policies and programmes. This report examines four funds –climate funds and non-climate funds, to draw out the lessons for gender integration in global finance mechanisms. Women and girls must not only be included in adaptive and mitigative activities, but also recognized as agents of change who are essential to the success of climate change interventions.

This report was commissioned by Oxfam and WEDO, with funding from Oxfam Great Britain and coordination by WEDO. Primary authors of this report are Elizabeth Arend and Sonia Lowman of Gender Action. Contributing authors include Elaine Zuckerman of Gender Action; Tracy Carty, Claire Godfrey and Monique Mikhail of Oxfam GB; Sandra Freitas, Rachel Harris and Cate Owren of WEDO.

New York, August 17th, 2011– Last week, members of the Women and Gender Constituency sent a letter to Michelle Bachelet, Under-Secretary-General of UN Women to ask UN Women to take a more prominent advocacy role in the negotiations at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), particularly in the development of a new Green Climate Fund (GCF).

Click here to view the full letter.

New York, July 30th 2011– As you may know, several GGCA members have been very engaged during the last year and a half in strengthening the gender inclusiveness and gender equality in the development of the Climate Investment Funds (CIFs) (the CTF- Clean Technology Fund and the SCF – Strategic Climate Fund). One strategy GGCA members identified to ensure engagement on climate and gender issues was to create a dedicated observer seat for a gender equality or women’s empowerment expert or organization within each of the CIF Trust Fund Committees and Subcommittees.

Click here to find a letter for your consideration and sign-on. If you would like to support this effort by adding your organization to the growing list of sign-ons, please let GGCA Coordinator Nathalie Eddy nathalie@gender-climate.org, know by 12noon EST on Monday, August 1st.