The Climate Change Commission reiterated its commitment to promote women’s empowerment, especially in ecological decision-making.
With women bearing the brunt of the impacts of climate change, the CCC said they should have an expanded role in establishing climate-resilient communities.
Mainstreaming women is not just to reduce the impacts of climate change in their lives, but to include them in crafting solutions to this global crisis, the CCC said.
The CCC has teamed up with the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) and United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women) to promote gender empowerment and enhance women’s access to climate decision-making through a two-day consultation titled “Harnessing the Power of Data to Inform Gender-Climate Change Nexus.”
The intergovernmental panel on climate change has cited the disproportionate and differentiated impacts of climate change on women, highlighting the need for gender-responsive strategies in climate action.
For instance, women often face higher risks and burdens from climate impacts, as they make up a large percentage of the world’s poor and are more dependent on threatened natural resources.
They also have less access than men to resources, decision-making structures, technology, training and extension services that would enhance their capacity to adapt to climate change.
According to the United Nations Children’s Emergency Fund, 80 percent of people displaced by climate change are women, stressing the urgency of integrating gender considerations into climate policies.
The consultations discussed several topics, especially those related to gender, such as the overview of national policies and plans that include climate-related content, identifying relevant gender and climate change indicators to support monitoring of national priorities, and prioritization exercise and next steps toward filling data gaps.
The aspects covered women’s issues in the mainstreaming of gender in policy formation, reporting, and monitoring and evaluation. The consultation seeks to advance and support an inclusive approach in soliciting from women’s perspectives and leveraging their unique skills. By doing so, it addresses the gap in recognizing the capability of women in decision-making.
“This consultation has been a starting point for a comprehensive effort to fill the data gaps, provide technical-level elaboration, and pre-ground for possible indicators for the gender and climate nexus,” says Secretary Robert E.A. Borje, CCC vice chairperson and executive director.
Borje said through the significant work of the whole government and civil society organizations, the country can achieve a gender-centered and inclusive approach to climate action, ensuring that no one will be left behind.
Meanwhile, Khay Ann Magundayao-Borlado, executive director of the Philippine Commission on Women, underscored the importance of gender considerations in climate change and disaster risk reduction efforts.
“This allows us to develop targeted strategies that address the specific needs and capitalize on the strengths of different genders, thereby ensuring a more effective and equitable climate,“ she said.
CCC Commissioner Rachel Anne S. Herrera said “this national consultation establishes a clear roadmap for strengthening our gender-environment data ecosystem.”
“This will prove to be invaluable in refining our existing plans and strategies, ensuring they are grounded in robust, gender-responsive data,“ she said.
She stressed the critical role of gender in policymaking, monitoring progress, and creating climate solutions. This move will benefit all Filipinos―women, men, girls and boys―helping them to have resilient communities and a sustainable future. CCC News
