Resolution adapted in Avignon at the GA of the ICW, May 2022

(Original in English)

Recalling the Priority theme of the 66^th CSW Session which put the focus on the crucial issue of climate change, environmental and disaster risk reduction policies and programmes; recalling also the Fourth World Conference on Women, the UN Conference on Environment and Development (Rio de Janeiro 1992), the Paris Agreement on Climate Change and the recent COP26 Glasgow Climate Pact, which have underlined that the contribution of women to economic development, social development and environmental protection, which are mutually reinforcing components of sustainable development, should be recognized and supported, and that there is need for a clear gender perspective in environment management,

Recognizing the fact that the impacts of climate change affect women and men differently, in the developing world specifically, where women are responsible for gathering and producing food, collecting water and sourcing fuel for heating and cooking; with climate change, these tasks are becoming more difficult and extreme weather crises, such as droughts and floods, have a greater impact on the poor and most vulnerable – 70% of the world’s poor are women,

Aware that women have proven to be leading the way towards more equitable and sustainable practical solutions, and can play a crucial role in climate change adaptation and mitigation; aware also of the fact that women’s initiatives and innovations have transformed lives and livelihoods, and increased climate resilience and overall being; however, restricted land rights, lack of access to financial resources, lack of training and technology, and limited access to political decision-making arenas, often prevent women from playing a meaningful role in tackling climate change and other environmental challenges,

Reaffirming the Beijing Platform for Action, The Rio +20, The Lima Work Programme on Gender adopted at COP20 in 2014, the Paris Agreement in 2018 and the Glasgow Climate Pact,

THE INTERNATIONAL COUNCIL OF WOMEN CALLS UPON ITS MEMBER COUNCILS:

• To forge coalitions in order to make sure that stakeholders recognize the centrality of women’s roles in all environmental and disaster reduction policies, and adopt a holistic and coordinated approach to integrating a gender perspective in all programs dealing with climate change and natural resource management;
• To cooperate with environmental civil society associations, national institutions and UN bodies, for the effective implementation of such policies and programs, emphasizing the need to incorporate a gender perspective in the development and implementation of disaster prevention, risk reduction, resilience, mitigation and recovery strategies;
• To work towards the inclusion of women, at international, national and local levels, in all decision-making bodies that design and plan environmental and climate change projects, making sure that gender concerns and women’s specific needs are taken into consideration;
• To strengthen climate action by promoting gender equality and the participation of women in climate finance mechanism boards, mobilizing resources to respond to the negative impacts on women and girls;
• To increase the proportion of women in leadership positions throughout climate and environmental sectors relevant for transitioning to an inclusive and regenerative green economy;
• To ensure that women, particularly in the developing world, are included in decision-making related to waste disposal, improving water and sanitation systems, and industrial, agricultural and land- use projects that affect water quality and quantity;
• To encourage and empower women to take effective action in times of crisis;
• To adopt the “Feminist Action for Climate Justice” Action Coalition initiated by Generation Equality Forum, declaring “We can make 2021 a landmark year for gender equality; and to encourage women and girls to become “Commitment-makers” spreading the call of this Forum and of UN WOMEN.