At the UN Climate Change Conference (COP28) in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, which commenced on November 30, women’s organizations and climate activists are urging for the consideration of women’s and girls’ rights and needs in climate discussions. They are making demands for the inclusion of these concerns in government policies.
At this year’s UN Climate Change Conference, (COP28), which kicked off in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, on November 30th, UN Women will take action to ensure the consideration of women’s and girls’ rights, abilities, and needs in climate discussions and their incorporation into government policies.
Women and girls are actively engaged in the forefront of climate activism, possessing the knowledge to support effective climate action.
Simultaneously, as the intensity and frequency of extreme weather events rise, women and girls worldwide disproportionately encounter challenges such as food insecurity, poverty, and the risk of violence.
UN Women has released a document providing analysis and policy recommendations on gender and climate change for the conference held in Dubai from November 30 to December 12, 2023.
The UN Women delegation to COP 28 is led by UN Women Executive Director Sima Bahous. UN will release its Feminist Climate Justice report at a press conference at COP, and will also engage in events calling for gender-responsive policies on 4 December, the conference’s Gender Day.
Demands of climate activists
Climate activists are advocating for specific measures at the UN Climate Change Conference, (COP28) to alleviate the impact of climate change on women and empower their active involvement in addressing global warming.
Their demands include securing women’s land rights, fostering women’s cooperatives, and promoting the leadership of women in the development of climate policies. Additionally, there is a suggestion to allocate increased budgetary resources, particularly in developing countries like India, to ensure greater focus on achieving gender equality in climate policies.
UN Women will organize a conference before COP28
Ahead of COP 28, UN Women and partners—including the Offices of the President of COP 28, the UN Climate Change High Level Champion, the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change Secretariat, International Union for Conservation of Nature, and Women’s Environment and Development Organization—will convene a conference to highlight the importance of gender-specific environment data and to ensure that leaders at COP 28 forge policies that take women and girls into account.
COP 28 will launch the Global Stocktake to assess progress towards the achievement of the goals of the Paris Agreement, aimed at limiting global warming to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels, and to pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5°C. The stocktake will also be critical in evaluating how existing policies have impacted women and girls, and will provide a foundation for future policy changes.
As countries look to transition their economies away from fossil fuel extraction and other harmful environmental practices, it will be essential to ensure that the benefits of these changes are fairly distributed, ensuring gender-responsive transitions that prioritize the rights of women.
Source: UN Women