Mainstreaming Gender in Climate talks

Background: For many years, there has been an assumption that the negative impacts of climate change and the efforts to mitigate them have similar effects on both men and women.  However, the world has progressively recognized that women and men experience climate change differently, and that gender inequalities worsen women's coping capacity. It has also been acknowledged that women are important agents of change and holders of significant knowledge and skills related to mitigation, adaptation, and the reduction of risks in the face of climate change, making them crucial agents in this area.

The Global Gender and Climate Alliance (GGCA) is holding a Training of Trainers on Gender and Climate Change in Amman in preparation for mainstreaming gender issues in a new climate deal at Copenhagen. The alliance has been conducting groundbreaking work on linking gender and climate change, an aspect that has been strikingly absent up to date. The training is based on a groundbreaking Training Manual on Gender and Climate Change and authored by the IUCN Global Senior Gender Advisor, Lorena Aguilar, on behalf of the alliance.

The West Asia chapter of the training is the 6^th in a series of successful workshops held previously in Thailand (Bangkok), Europe (Poland and Germany), the United States (New York), and the Caribbean and the Americas (Grenada) and Africa ahead of the UNFCCC Cop-15 to be held in Copenhagen in December 2009. 

Key Issues:

• Including gender and women's leadership in the final agreement on climate change is critically important.
• The GGCA has built up an advocacy team around the world that has been actively working with governments to successfully include gender considerations in climate change negotiations.
• Including gender in the negotiating text ahead of the Copenhagen climate change negotiations set to take place in December 2009, is not only a question of social justice and human rights. It is critical in ensuring equitable and sustainable human development by the most effective and efficient means.

Spokespersons:

·         Under the patronage of Minister of Environment HE Eng. Khaled Al-Irani.

• Dr. Odeh Al-Jayyousi, IUCN West Asia Regional Director.
• Lorena Aguilar, Senior Global Gender Advisor for the IUCN, International Union for Conservation of Nature.

Where: Geneva Hotel, 7^th Circle, Amman - Jordan. 

When: 11-12 November, 2009

Media team:

• Rania Faouri, IUCN Communications Officer, Regional Office for West Asia (ROWA), t +962 777888522, e rania.faouri@iucn.org.
• François Rogers, GGGCA Communications Advisor, francois@gender-climate.org

Resources & Documents:

Web address: www.gender-climate.org

GGCA Training Manual: www.gender-climate.org/resources.html

About GGCA: The Global Gender and Climate Alliance is a joint initiative working to ensure that climate change initiatives and decision-making at all levels are responsive to the needs of both women and men. Established in 2007, the GGCA's membership includes 13 United Nations entities and 25 civil society and international organizations. www.gender-climate.org

IUCN, the International Union for Conservation of Nature, helps the world find pragmatic solutions to our most pressing environment and development challenges. IUCN works on biodiversity, climate change, energy, human livelihoods and greening the world economy by supporting scientific research, managing field projects all over the world, and bringing governments, NGOs, the UN and companies together to develop policy, laws and best practice. www.iucn.org