Global congress to focus on women in climate governance

OneWorldSouthAsia: Women and environment experts have raised concern over the absence of women in the discourse and debate on climate change and disaster risk reduction, both of which are global mainstream issues that are currently impacting the entire world.

The involvement of women in areas of environmental management and governance should not be perceived as an afterthought. Women's roles are of considerable importance in the promotion of environmental ethics. The current imperative is for women to understand the phenomenon of climate change and disaster risk reduction and their impacts and implications at the individual, household, community and national levels.

Studies show that women have a definite information deficit on climate politics, climate protection, and preparedness through disaster risk reduction. Only with this information can women take their proper, significant and strategic role in the issues of climate change and disaster risk reduction.

The Center for Asia-Pacific Women in Politics (CAPWIP) and the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR) are organising the Third Global Congress of Women in Politics and Governance on October 19-22, 2008 at the Dusit Hotel, Makati City, Metro Manila, Philippines. The theme of the Congress is “Gender in Climate Change and Disaster Risk Reduction.”…

At a new water borehole at Labuje IDP camp, Kitgum, Uganda, women line up to fill their containers with water, USAID, Wikimedia Commons