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Beijing+20: Women as agents of change for a sustainable people-centred world

Friday, 19 June 2015

In June, to celebrate World Environment Day, the European Women’s Lobby (EWL) focuses on Women and the Environment, as part of its Beijing+20 campaign. In the framework of this campaign, EWL has published a factsheet entitled "Women and the Environment" and organized a webinar on June 19 with the idea to bring a gender perspective to the climate change issue.

According to the EWL, men and women affect and are affected by environmental and climate change in different ways. Indeed, women’s rights and climate change are interlinked: when women’s rights are not protected, more women than men die from disasters, most of which, these days, are climate related.

The EWL points out that while many women are present in ecological and environmental movements, they are largely absent from decision-making in this sector, including at the governmental level. For women in Europe, it is also a question of solidarity with all women on the planet, who already have to live with the consequences of climate change.

 

What does the EWL call for?

  • Ensure the right of all women and girls to be heard on environmental issues in their regions.

  • Systematically include a women’s rights and gender equality perspective in the definition, implementation and monitoring of environmental / climate / transport / energy policies at all levels.

  • Secure women’s political participation in environmental and climate change work, at all levels.

  • Assess, disseminate and raise awareness on the impacts of environmental policies on women, by both public policies and the private industry.

  • Take action towards women’s higher enrolment in science and technology-related fields of education, and women’s entrepreneurship in agriculture, renewable energies, environment, protection and tourism, and enhance their contribution to innovation, quality of life and preservation of land, environment and culture.

  • Speed up the elaboration of an environment strategy based on biodiversity, sustainable development, quality of life and wellbeing, from an intergenerational and gender equality perspective.

Country: 

European Union