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Gender and Climate Change Activities @ COP13 - Bali 2007

A new era of integrating gender into climate change debates

From a gender perspective, the next significant breakthrough was achieved at COP13 in Bali. For the first time in UNFCCC history, a worldwide network of women was established: GenderCC - Women for Climate Justice. The group published several position papers articulating women's and gender perspectives on the most pressing issues under negotiation. And for the first time a range of activities on women's and gender issues was organised by various organisations and institutions. These activities were met with interest, increasing awareness, and a growing expression of commitment to gender justice from a number of stakeholders. 


Women and gender activities at COP13 included:

Women in the Forest – not a fairy tale
The first side event discussed women's roles in "reducing emissions by avoided deforestation". Take a look at the minutes of the side event.

Integrating gender into climate change policy: challenges, constraints, perspectives
The second side event was co-hosted by GenderCC, UNDP, UNEP and FAO. The aim of the event was to present the network's gender positions and to discuss them with high-level delegates. The representatives from the EU DG Environment, the UNFCCC secretariat, form the government of Tuvalu, from FAO as well as several ministers who attended the meeting, committed themselves to support the integration of gender perspectives into climate policy.

Adaptation and gender equality: experiences from the South
This side event by ActionAid, the Heinrich Böll Foundation, WEDO and UNDP discussed how adaptation financing can best support women's rights in developing countries, shared experiences of incorporating gender analysis into national adaptation plans; and discussed what can be done to ensure they promote gender equality.

Gender and climate change
The side event was organised by the Indonesian Ministry for Women's Empowerment. The keynote speech was given by the First Lady of Indonesia, Ms. Ani Mambang Yudhoyono, addressing "Women as a driving force to fight climate change". The Minister for Women's empowerment, Prof. Dr. Meutia Hatta Swasono illustrated activities undertaken in the run-up to the UNFCCC conference, in particular the "Conference on the Indonesian women’s local wisdom: adaptation and mitigation of the adverse impacts of climate change".

Levers of global security: examining how a changing climate impacts women
During this side event the joint initiative by UNDP, UNEP, IUCN and WEDO "Global Gender and Climate Alliance (GGCA)" was launched.

A series of position papers was published by GenderCC and its members addressing the future climate regime, financing adaptation and mitigation, avoided deforestation, agrofuels and nuclear energy

A meeting of the Network of the Women Ministers for the Environment was held.
The ministers discussed and submitted a list of gender recommendations to the Parties and bodies under the UNFCCC.

A press conference titled "Women's Milestones for the Bali Roadmap" was held in the main press conference room and was also webcast via the UNFCCC website.
Take a look at the press release.

Gender activities closed with an intervention in the plenary, which focused on two main issues: the rejection of nuclear energy to be included in the CDM, and the traditional knowledge of women and women's contribution to forest conservation. Both issues got a lot of positive responses and applause from the audience; some Ministers later congratulated the group on the important statement.


Reporting

GenderCC published a full report on the network's activities at COP13.

An analysis of the gender activities at COP13 can be read in the preprint of the article "A gender-sensitive climate regime?" by Ulrike Röhr and Minu Hemmati, published in the book "Global warming and Climate Change: Kyoto ten years and Still Counting" edited by Velma Grovers (2008). The book also contains a full chapter by the same authors on women"s participation and gender mainstreaming in the UNFCCC process titled "Solidarity in the Greenhouse: Gender Equality and Climate Change".