● This preparatory meeting for the Conference of the Parties (COP) on climate change will be the first to prioritize the role of women as agents of change in climate action and the importance of having gender-responsive climate policies and strategies.
● Women leaders from Latin America and the world will share their experiences in environmental initiatives.
● Evidence shows that women are one of the groups most affected by the climate crisis.
San José, October 8, 2019.- The promotion of effective climate actions based on the principles of inclusion, respect for human rights and gender equality is one of the transversal axes of PreCOP25 that is carried out from 8 to 10 October in San José, Costa Rica.
This event takes place at the National Convention Center and functions as a prelude to the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Chile between December 2 and 13, 2019.
The promotion of the participation of women in the management and development of innovative environmental solutions is one of the main points of this space that will have the participation of around 1,500 people of which 700 are nationals and 800 foreigners, representatives of different spaces such as governments, international organizations and civil society.
“Costa Rica is the first country to raise the level of political discussion on issues related to gender, inclusion and human rights in a climate conference of this nature. This country is a faithful believer in the value of the active integration of the human being in the climate agenda and in the actions it undertakes. Not only do we believe that impossible is possible, but we continue to demonstrate it in our actions and the decisive impulse that we give to these very important issues on the national and international climate agenda ”, indicated Mrs. Lorena Aguilar Revelo, Vice Chancellor of the Republic.
Women and girls represent 49.58 per cent of the world’s population and their empowerment has been shown to accelerate social justice, equality, productivity and economic growth.
In addition to the efforts of the host country, the efforts of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), the United Nations Agency for Women (UN Women) and the United Nations Environment Agency ( UN Environment) who have highlighted the local, regional and global progress made in the implementation of the gender mandates of the Framework Convention related to mitigation, adaptation, financing, technology transfer and capacity development.
“We have to make changes so drastic that it is not enough to reduce emissions, it is imperative that we heed the urgent call of young people and that we recognize, once and for all, the leading role that women have as leaders and agents of transformation in the actions for the climate for communities and nations, ”said José Vicente Troya Rodríguez, Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Program in Costa Rica (UNDP).
“We celebrate the importance that the Government of Costa Rica is giving, in this Preparatory Meeting, to gender equality and the empowerment of women at the highest level,” added Troya.
For her part, the Regional Director of UN Women for the Americas and the Caribbean, María Noel Vaeza pointed out that “The participation and leadership of women must be supported in all decision-making processes related to climate, from the local to the global one, also taking into account indigenous populations. ”
Vaeza also highlighted that gender-sensitive climate approaches require timely and sex-disaggregated data. “Increasing the collection and analysis of sex-disaggregated data would contribute to the development of gender-sensitive climate policies and programs, allowing women and girls to fully benefit from them, while ensuring that such policies do not exacerbate inequalities. existing ”.
Finally, Leo Heileman, UN Environment Regional Director for Latin America explained that “Gender equality and the empowerment of women are human rights priorities and are prerequisites for sustainable development. Delving into the nexus between climate change and gender is crucial to understand social and environmental inequalities, and to promote low-carbon and resilient development in which women play a fundamental role ”.
An unconventional PreCOP
PreCOP25 is an event characterized by the presentation of actions such as national and local policies for mitigation and adaptation to the gender-responsive climate crisis, local knowledge of women and good practices at the community level.
On the other hand, it also seeks to promote the promotion of greater participation of women in climate negotiations and actions, as well as their empowerment and inclusion in sectors related to science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM for its acronym in English) , fundamental to achieve sustainable development and guarantee the fulfillment of human rights.
To this end, PreCOP 25 allocates a space to discuss how to increase the countries’ commitments in this line and how to strengthen the Gender Action Plan of the Convention and the Lima work program on gender; and integrates, in a strategic way, events and conferences focused on gender equality issues.
Some of these spaces are:
Workshop on the Gender Action Plan. Led by the Vice Foreign Minister of Costa Rica, Lorena Aguilar, the representation of the Netherlands and UN Women; this space will run from Tuesday to Thursday between 2: 00-6: 00 pm.
Adaptation in emblematic cities and sustainable mobility with a focus on gender, equity and inclusion in local contexts. Organized by UNESCO, the Citizen Consultative Council on Climate Change (5C) and the Green Building Council Association (GBC) of Costa Rica, it will be held on Wednesday 8 from 8:00 am to 9:30 am.
From words to action: projects with innovative solutions to face climate change and promote gender equality. Space of UNDP, UN Women and UN Environment, will be held on Wednesday 9 from 1:30 to 2:30 pm.
Governance and territorial climate action for adaptation to climate change: the role of women’s organizations and the gender approach. Organized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and 5C, it takes place on Wednesday 9 from 3:00 to 4:30 pm.
Workshop on the Improvement of Safety and mobility of women in public transport as a mitigation measure in the transport sector. Event of the Ministry of Public Works and Transportation (MOPT), the National Institute of Women (INAMU) and GIZ, on Thursday, October 10 at 8:00 am
Women as agents of change
Despite being a sector of the population most vulnerable to the climate crisis, women are agents of change in their communities, indispensable to face this imminent situation.
As explained by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in relation to adaptation and mitigation actions, women generally have unique and different knowledge of the social and environmental environment of their communities, and contribute in a different way to the climate initiatives associated with various sectors.
For example, globally, women represent 32% of those working in renewable energy compared to 22% in the energy sector overall.
Another case is that of Peru, where as part of the NAMA for universal access to sustainable energy, the Energy School for Women, “eMujer”, is established, whose objective is to provide opportunities for women to: develop capacities in the use, management and sustainability of sustainable energy technologies.
In the forestry sector, women and men depend on forests in a different way, obtain different products and receive different benefits from forests and have different knowledge, access and control of forests; women contribute in a unique way to the protection and sustainable management of forests and the sustainability and effectiveness of nature-based solutions to the climate crisis.
For more details on the Preparatory Meeting for the 25th Conference of the Parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (PreCop25) visit: https://www.precop25costarica.com/
About the organizations that promote the transversal gender axis
The UNDP partners with people at all levels of society to help build nations that can withstand crisis , and drive and sustain the kind of growth that improves the quality of life for all. With a presence in nearly 170 countries and territories, we offer a global perspective and a local vision to help empower lives and build resilient nations. www.undp.org @PNUD
UN Women is the United Nations entity dedicated to gender equality and the empowerment of women. As a global advocacy organization for women and girls, UN Women was created to accelerate progress in meeting their needs around the world. lac.unwomen.org @onumujeres
ONU Environment is the world’s leading environmental authority. It sets the global environmental agenda, promotes the consistent implementation of the environmental dimension of sustainable development in the United Nations system, and acts as an authoritative advocate for the environment. UN Environment’s work includes assessing global, regional and national environmental conditions and trends; develop international and national environmental instruments; and the strengthening of institutions for the rational management of the environment.
Original note: Presidencia – PreCOP25 resalta perspectiva de género como eje fundamental para mitigación y adaptación a la crisis climática.
