An Event Organized as a Part of the Sixty-Sixth Session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW)
Climate change is not gender-neutral. Gender is a strong determinant of vulnerability, hence the risk associated with climate change. An estimated 8 in 10 people who have been displaced by the effects of climate change are women. Today, many women and girls face increased unpaid care and domestic work due to climate-related shortages of food, fuel, and water. There are also strong links between environmental stress and gender-based violence, often leading to climate-induced and forced migration, which disproportionately impacts women in poverty, and, particularly women from marginalized, indigenous, and caste communities. Often, women and girls in all their diversity face increased risks, including restricted access to sexual and reproductive health services, and sexual and gender-based violence, and trafficking and forced labor, especially after natural disasters. All of these harms are now being further exacerbated due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Climate justice seeks to acknowledge that climate change can have differing social, economic, public health and adverse impacts on underprivileged populations, including women and girls. Climate justice and peacebuilding are therefore closely interlined and compliment each other.
Faith leaders and faith institutions are critical partners in addressing these harms and barriers to women and young women in all of their diversity within the climate justice movement and within peacebuilding. In 1995, the Parliament of the World’s Religions offered the world a declaration expressing the ethical commitments held in common by the world’s religious, spiritual, and cultural traditions. The initial declaration, “Towards a Global Ethic,” calls for a change of consciousness and articulates four ethical directives that describe a commitment to a culture of respect for life, economic justice, truth and compassion, and women’s rights. In 2018, the Parliament added a further component to the core values and principles in the Global Ethic — a fifth directive that describes its commitment to sustainability and care for Earth and nature. Just recently at COP 26, Pope Francis urged political and economic leaders to show courage and long-range vision in saying, “cry of the poor, united to the cry of the Earth….I encourage all those who have political and economic responsibilities to act immediately with courage and farsightedness. At the same time, I invite all persons of good will to carry out active citizenry to care for the common house.”
Both SDG 13 and SG 16 are interlinked and must reinforce each other. Both can be advanced through rights-based approaches. Climate justice helps reduce potential violent conflict over limited natural resource exploitation or stress due to environmental crises and faith actors are critical messengers of peace within this space. Research has shown that religion influences many environmentally relevant behaviors, including whether individuals see climate change as human-caused, or related to forces beyond human control, consumption patterns, and their willingness to take actions to abate environmental degradation. The contribution by faith leaders and faith actors are instrumental towards socially transitioning to climate neutrality and developing innovative solutions to combat the climate crisis.
In line with the priority theme of the sixty-sixth session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) on advancing, “Achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls in the context of climate change, environmental and disaster risk reduction policies and programmes,” the Generation Equality Action Coalition on Feminist Action for Climate Change, and the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, the Network for Religious and Traditional Peacemakers, Christian Council of Mozambique, the International Network for Engaged Buddhists, Lutheran World Federation, Resilience Research Training and Consulting, and World Vision International will highlight examples of faith actors leading the way in fighting the climate crisis and its specific impacts on women and girls and how this contributes to sustainable peace.
CSW66, which will take place this year from March 14 to 25, offers an opportunity for a global intergovernmental body to focus exclusively on advancing gender equality and the empowerment of women all over the world. This year’s priority theme will focus on, “Achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls in the context of climate change, environmental and disaster risk reduction policies and programmes.” Please join us for our event by registering here. You can also register as an advocate (for free) on the NGO CSW platform here if you would like to attend other CSW events.
Speakers
-Tanya Awad Ghorra, Adyan Foundation
-Renate Gierus, Lutheran World Federation
-Agustao Zitha, Christian Council of Mozambique
-Topsi Wansiri Rongrongmuang, International Network of Engaged Buddhists
-Dr. Novil Wijesekara, Resilience Research Training and Consulting
-Hamed Constantin Tchibozo, World Vision
-Simon Woell, Network for Religious and Traditional Peacemakers
