Women and climate change

The Government of Peru announced on December 8th, gender day here at the COP, that Peru will become the first country in South America to incorporate a Climate Change Gender Action Plan into its national climate policy and planning, and the 14th country in the world to do so. This is wonderful news.

I met some extraordinary and courageous women indigenous leaders when I spoke at the WECAN event, Women on the Frontlines of Climate Change, on December 8th. Patricia Gualinga, the Kichwa leader from Sarayaku, Ecuador, Ruth Buendia, an Asháninka Leader from Peru, Alicia Cahuiya Iteca of the Huaroni, Ecuador, Tantoo Cardinal of the Tar Sands in Canada among many others. These are inspiring women, standing up to defend the rights of future generations, they are unflinching defenders of their people and their ancestral lands.

Bianca Jagger with Patricia Gualinga, and Alicia Cahuiya Ateca

Some of them spoke about Pachamama, the goddess of nature and balance who is honoured here in Peru, and across South America You could translate Pachamama as Mother Earth but it's more than that. 'Pacha' means more than "earth" - the word also implies the cosmos, universe, time, space... We can't translate Pachamama literally into English, but perhaps a better attempt would be Mother World.

I urge the COP to remember Pachamana and her rights. What's at stake is our future, and that of future generations.

Unfortunately women are underrepresented in UNFCCC negotiations, at all the COPs. The UNFCCC has a terrible track record with gender equality. The term wasn't mentioned in documents until 2007.

Gender equality isn't mentioned in the ADP text. The Philippines human rights language I mentioned earlier, pushed by Ghana and Mexico, would right this omission.

'fair, inclusive, respectful of human rights and particularly rights of indigenous people and women.'

This language has been ignored, and the only mention of gender is a stated intent to ask the COP to

'(iv) Provide meaningful and regular opportunities for the effective engagement of experts from Parties, relevant international organizations, civil society, indigenous peoples, women, youth, academic institutions, the private sector, and subnational authorities nominated by their respective countries;'

This is woefully inadequate. Climate change is an issue of gender equality.

In addition there has been shameful compromise in the Subsidiary Body for Implementation SBI two year work programme to advance gender. The SBI work programme was decided in Warsaw, and was a welcome step forward.

But this week, in a travesty of cowardly wording, the term 'gender equality' was replaced by 'gender balance' in the text of the SBI decision on the Work Progamme on Gender, at the behest of Saudi Arabia. Gender balance is a purely numerical term. It has nothing to do with equality. Gender equality is mentioned once in the Decision, in a context that negates it. I urge you to read Diego Ortiz's excellent analysis regarding this on the blog adoptanegotiator. Mexico remained the only country which continued to push for the term 'gender equality' to be used throughout the text.

This is a fatal step back for gender equality. I am appalled. My only hope is that the COP reopens the topic in Paris.

I am very concerned. What would this mean for gender equality at the UN, in the global climate agreement, and for future generations?