March 7, 2022

RLS Engagement with Commission on the Status of Women 2022

The Importance of Gender Equality to Climate Justice

The 66th session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women is taking place from March 14-25, 2022. This annual gathering is where Member State representatives evaluate progress and challenges toward global gender equality goals and develop recommendations and policies to further gender equality worldwide. This year the focus is on achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls in the context of climate change, environmental and disaster risk reduction policies and programs. 

Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung (RLS) believes that the connection between gender equality and climate justice are inextricable. It is well understood by the global community that the impact of climate change will disproportionately impact women, particularly in the Global South, and that the knowledge and leadership role of women will play an important part in our ability to adapt to and mitigate climate change.

But we also recognize the need to fundamentally upend and transform colonial and patriarchal structures in order to achieve climate justice. This is what has prompted us to examine what a decolonial and feminist Green New Deal must look like and improve understanding of what climate justice looks like from Global South feminist perspectives

CSW66

RLS also supports the “Not Without Us!” initiative which promotes the integration of gender justice in international climate politics and within the global climate justice movement. This initiative supports activists and gender experts from environmental groups and women’s organizations, primarily from the Global South, to connect local struggles for climate and gender justice with the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) process, enabling networking with other actors. 

As part of activities around CSW this year, RLS and MADRE, a long-term partner, will co-lead an orientation for indigenous women attending CSW to support their participation. This will also examine issues around gender and climate justice, presenting the efforts of various indigenous and local partners who are leading in advocating for climate solutions that are centered around the needs of women and girls.

Parallel Event: Not Without Us! Pathways to a Feminist Just Transition – March 14, 10am EST

This year at CSW we will examine Pathways to a Feminist Just Transition at a parallel event on Monday, March 14, 10-11:30 EST (Spanish and French interpretation will be provided – register here).

Just Transition is not only about the transfer of the energy sector, it’s a just transition to a new form of society and economic activity. This session will advance the understanding of the potential of a feminist just transition and how it could lead to a higher level policy change and climate justice. 

Based on examples, the event will explore what kinds of just transitions hold the potential to achieve a social-ecological transformation and why changing the value of different kinds of work, including unpaid care work, and sectors might be necessary in order to achieve low-carbon sustainable development.

Speakers at this event will include: 

Ndivile Mokoena, Gender CC Southern Africa

Dunja Krause, UN Research Institute for Social Development (UNRISD)

Melissa Moreano, Critical Geography Collective Ecuador

Lucy Mulenkei, MADRE

David Williams, Rosa-Luxemburg-Stiftung New York (facilitator)


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