Debate: The EU priorities for the th session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women
Date: WEDNESDAY, 16 FEBRUARY 2022
Speaker: Helena Dalli
Language: EN

On the gender day of COP26, the EU and Member States made the submission on the gender-differentiated impact of climate change and the role of women as agents of change. The implementation of the Paris Agreement, the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and its Gender Action Plans, needs to take a gender transformative approach to be effective. This is why I welcome the theme of this year’s Commission on the Status of Women – climate change and the need for environmental and disaster risk reduction policies – with gender equality at the centre of solutions.  Climate change, environmental degradation and biodiversity loss take a disproportionate toll on women, primarily because of the reduced access to resources. This is particularly the case for those from disadvantaged backgrounds and the poor, and is particularly acute among rural dwellers, indigenous peoples and migrants.  Effective solutions cannot be drawn without adequately taking into account the diverse voices of women and girls. Addressing climate change is a priority for the European Commission, and we stand firm on leaving no one behind. Indeed, social justice is at the heart of the European Green Deal, and gender mainstreaming is a key tool to its implementation, as is highlighted in the EU gender equality strategy and the Gender Action Plan III.  The EU climate adaptation strategy describes how climate change might worsen existing inequalities and focuses on ensuring that adaptation measures factor in the different adaptive capabilities of women and men, older people, people with disabilities, displaced and socially marginalised persons.  For the European Green Deal, the Commission integrated the gender perspective into the policies of the Fit for 55 package. For instance, the proposal for a social climate finder fund recognises that women are particularly affected by carbon pricing, as they represent 85% of single parent families, and calls for mainstreaming gender and equal opportunities in the social climate plans. Under the European climate law adopted in 2021, the Commission will help disseminate science-based information about the social and gender equality aspects of climate change, including through the climate pact. The climate pact also seeks to achieve gender balance amongst climate ambassadors. Currently, the pact has 265 women ambassadors, 331 men ambassadors, and five who did not state their gender.  Reliable data is crucial, and the 2023 edition of the gender equality index of the European Institute for Gender Equality will focus on the gender issues in relation to the Green Deal. In order to effectively address gender equality in climate change, the leadership and participation of women and girls is key.  For a successful and inclusive green transition, we need women to participate in equal numbers in education, training and reskilling programmes, including in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. That will lead to these new green jobs. Evidence shows that there are direct links between environmental degradation, climate change and disasters, on the one hand, and gender-based violence on the other. Competition over increasingly scarce resources is a contributing factor to the exacerbation of violence and the threat to women’s livelihoods.  The Commission on the Status of Women is therefore an opportunity to put key challenges of our time on the table and negotiate with governments from across the world on commitments to promote women’s rights. It is also an opportunity to exchange best practices with our partners and to pave the way for a better, safer and more inclusive world.