Finding gender in the Climate Change agenda – towards COP17

Gender activists in the region and beyond have been using every opportunity to ensure that gender is integral to all discussions, position papers and policy documents in preparation for, during and beyond United Nations 17th Conference of the Parties (COP 17).

Whatever the outcomes of COP 17,it is hoped that regional leaders will emerge with specific resolutions on the direction thatpolicies,programmes and resource allocation strategies should take to ensure that they a direct positiveimpact on the lives of ordinary women who heavily rely on natural resources in Southern Africa.

The general concern that has emerged from all engagements is that the climate change discourse has evolved within a scientific, economic and political framework. It does not emerge from a rights based approach therefore human rights and specifically women’s rights have not been explicitly integrated into the policy and implementation plans of the various conventions, protocols and action plans.

Several meetings have taken place in the last few months with the aim of making sure that gender is mainstreamed in documents being prepared for COP 17 and that policy recommendations for beyond the conference are gender aware. For example,the meeting on held on 21 October 2011 convened by civil society after the postponement of the Senior Officials responsible for gender and women’s affairs noted that the SADC Framework on Climate Change at COP 17 is gender blind. Participants then proposed language that could be adopted for the official document that will be used for COP 17 processes at continental and international levels.

During the 28 October 2011 meeting convened by the SADC Council of Non-Governmental Organisations (SADC-CNGO), activists pointed out the need to ensure that theCivil Society Draft Policy Research Paper on Climate Change is gender aware. The final document will reflect the suggestions made.

In response to this, the SADC Secretariat Gender Unit has since drafted an Issues Paper on Gender and Climate Change ahead of the Ministerial Meeting scheduled to take place from on 17-18 November 2011 and Inter-Continental Dialogue on Women and Climate Change. Although the 2008 SADC Protocol on Gender and Development does not specifically mention climate change severalprogressive provisions contained therein, can be used to advance a climate change agenda.

For instance, the Protocol calls for the equitable distribution of resources such as land. There are many examples that point to the impact that climate change has on women, especially their access to productive resources and their contribution to sustainable development. Climate change has an impact on productive resources and economic development which could increase the burden of the multiple roles played by women. In the context of climate change, this means that gender equality and women’s empowerment should drive climate change financing.

Activists argue that whilst climate change can be read into the existing articles of the SADC Gender Protocol, it is far too important to be left to chance. COP 17 provides an opportune moment to find ways of strengthening the instrument either through an Addendum or through amendments to the Gender Protocol.

Gender Links, (GL) and the African Woman and Child Feature Service (AWCFS) will train journalists from Southern and East African countries to produce a series of gender aware articles on climates change; provide platforms for robust debates on gender and climate change as well as produce radio content on how communities are adapting to climate change pressures during COP 17. The articles will appear in a daily online publication.

Sign our petition for an addendum to the SADC Gender Protocol on gender and climate change