REDD+
The world’s forests are at risk and WEDO wants to ensure that women’s perspectives are included in all responses to forest degradation. Currently, one significant area of focus for WEDO is REDD+ (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation), a global initiative that attempts to protect forests and extend climate change mitigation response measures into the areas of conservation, sustainable forest management, and enhancement of carbon stocks. Like any forest conservation and management initiative, REDD+ projects will need to critically address and integrate gender equality issues at every stage of planning, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation.
REDD+ initiatives could have several implications for women at the local-community level, comprising significant risks and harmful outcomes as well as potential opportunities for the advancement of women’s rights. The exclusion of gender perspective in REDD+ projects may lead to an inequitable distribution of forest benefits and an increase in the vulnerability of women. However, REDD+ presents an opportunity to contribute to a real paradigm shift in conservation initiatives where there is true advancement in the recognition and value of women’s rights. Putting an end to the discrimination of women in forest-related areas, building the capacities of women in forest-related practices, ensuring the full and effective participation of all members of communities, and closing the gender gap are all milestone goals that WEDO strives to help achieve through our advocacy, capacity building and training on REDD+.
The Latest REDD+ News
WEDO Featured in ETFRN Journal: Moving Forward with Forest Governance
NEW YORK (April 1, 2012)– It is widely acknowledged that improving forest governance is an important prerequisite for sustainable forest management and reducing deforestation and forest degradation. Making governance work better for people and forests is not an easy task. Divergent interests, imbalanced power relations and unequal access to information, decision-making, resources and benefits all contribute to this challenge. The latest journal of the European Tropical Forest Research Network (ETFRN), Moving Forward with Forest Governance, …
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Mapping gender-sensitive REDD+ strategies in Ghana, Cameroon, and Uganda
NEW YORK (January 4, 2012)– Over the course of several months in 2011, WEDO worked in Ghana, Cameroon and Uganda to create a dialogue around women, climate change and forestry. Project Coordinator Andrea Quesada lead and facilitated workshops on gender and REDD+ (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation) as part of a new initiative that WEDO and IUCN are jointly implementing to deliver roadmaps to guide the design and implementation of gender-sensitive REDD+ strategies …
Gender and the Art of Implementation
WEDO at COP17
Wednesday, November 3oth
On Wednesday, the Rio Pavilion at COP17 celebrated Gender Day! As part of this, WEDO’s Andrea Quesada presented at a side event on “Gender and the Art of Implementation”, to showcase some of the work WEDO has been doing on developing gender-sensitive road maps on REDD+ in Uganda, Cameroon and Ghana, in partnership with IUCN. Click here for WEDO and IUCN’s factsheet on Gender and REDD+.
Climate Conversations – “Property Can’t Own Property”
Women in Cameroon have developed a vision for a gender-sensitive approach for their country’s nascent Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) programme.
They have put together a roadmap to ensure that women are involved in the formulation of Cameroon’s national REDD+ strategy.
The premise is that women should be given equal opportunities to learn about REDD+ initiatives, and their capacity strengthened so they can influence, participate in and benefit from the programme. The roadmap will be presented at the U.N. Climate Convention in Durban in December.
Policymakers often wrongly assume that women are involved in decisions about the management of natural resources. In Cameroon, for example, women are often excluded from both formal and informal decision-making processes.
Gender and REDD+ Roadmaps on the Road to Durban
From Ghana to Uganda, WEDO is leading the way in creating a dialogue around women and forestry. Over the course of the last month, WEDO Project Coordinator Andrea Quesada has been traveling around West Africa, leading and facilitating workshops on gender and REDD+ (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation). The workshops are part of a new initiative that WEDO and IUCN are jointly implementing which will deliver roadmaps to guide the design and implementation of gender-sensitive REDD+ strategies in Ghana, Cameroon and Uganda.
