On Gender Equality Day at the Climate Change Summit (COP28) in Dubai, a new partnership was announced to support women economically and maintain gender equality including the formulation of new strategies to confront climate change.
The new partnership was formulated based on the United Nations UN gender agenda, which is part of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Gender Action Plan signed by 68 countries, not including Iraq, which has not yet determined its position.
The partnership includes financing countries most affected by climate change, as well as developing individual capabilities so that community members can play a more effective role in moving their society to the era of clean energy, as well as better education.
December 4 was designated as Gender Equality Day at the Climate Change Summit COP28 in Dubai, UAE. UN Climate Change High-Level Champion Razan Khalifa Al Mubarak announced the COP28 Gender-Responsive Just Transitions & Climate Action Partnership.
The Partnership includes a package of commitments, including actions on data, finance, and equal opportunities. Implementation will be reviewed at a second convening during COP31.
“The rights of women and girls must be at the center of climate action, including here at COP28,” said Sima Bahous, UN Women Executive Director.
“We must ensure that women have a seat at the decision-making table. We must strengthen inclusive decision-making so that the voices of feminists, youth, indigenous and other grassroot movements can be heard loud and clear from the local to the global level.”
According to the International Labor Organization (ILO), 1.2 billion jobs, representing 40 percent of the global labor force, are at risk due to global warming and environmental degradation. Women are expected to be most severely affected due to their high representation in sectors particularly susceptible to climate change.
Hillary Clinton, former US Secretary of State, said, "This is the first climate change summit to work specifically on gender and health issues. This is a joy, but we must not forget that there is a lot to do. I think it is time for us to work for gender equality."
In an interview with (KirkukNow) correspondent, Ahnag Habib, on the sidelines of the conference activities, Hillary Clinton said, “We must continue the work we have begun and not stop and work more because our goal is great and achieving it requires efforts.”
The transition to a low-carbon and sustainable economy will lead to both the elimination and transformation of some jobs, as well as the creation of new roles, a statement by COP28 said. Ministers and high-level officials have therefore agreed on a series of commitments to support women’s economic empowerment and ensure women’s livelihoods are protected during this transition.
The new partnership builds on objectives previously outlined in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Gender Action Plan, which set out activities under five key priority areas to advance understanding of gender-responsive climate action.
In particular, the new COP28 Gender-Responsive Just Transitions & Climate Action Partnership centers around three core pillars: better quality data to support decision-making in transition planning, more effective finance flows to regions most impacted by climate change, and education, skills and capacity building to support individual engagement in transitions.
This story was produced as part of the 2023 Climate Change Media Partnership, a journalism fellowship organized by Internews' Earth Journalism Network and the Stanley Center for Peace and Security.
