ISLAMABAD – Women shall be given sufficient representation in decision-making processes on climate change adaptation and mitigation strategies as no national or international policy framework on climate change addresses gender issue. The experts on environment and other speakers stressed this while discussing absence of gender perspective in policy framework on climate change in Pakistan here a seminar “Climate Change and Gender: Prospects and Challenges” that was organized by Sustainable Development Policy Institute.
Shakeel Ahmad Ramay, head of Climate Change Study Centre while discussing climate change policies on gender, informed that ironically there is no policy framework on climate change addressing gender issue on national as well as international level.
UN framework on climate change is silent about gender perspective. The only reference we found is in National Adaptation Programmes of Action (NAPA).
“The ground realities are that there is only one female member in Pakistan’s two premier bodies on climate change, which are PM Task Force on Environment and Core group on climate change. So when fifty percent of population is excluded in decision making and implementations process, how can it be effective and catering to the needs of most vulnerable segment of the society,” he asked.
He highlighted the need to take all stakeholders including women on board to change the discourse on climate change by giving more resources and choices to women and most importantly the social acceptability of women’s role in society. Mome Saleem Research Associate, (SDPI) said that throughout the world, there were gender-specific differences in consumption patterns, lifestyles, access to and control of resources and power, and vulnerability to climate change. She regretted that women are not sufficiently represented in decision-making processes on climate change, or adaptation and mitigation strategies.
She stressed that women must be included, not because they are “more vulnerable” but because they have different perspectives and experiences to contribute (for example, in implementing adaptation measures). She further highlighted gender vulnerability in different sectors like Food security, (as 50-80 percent food is being produced by women in developing countries: UNICEF), physical and reproductive health, access to resources, water, climate change, empowerment and access to basic services.
Nazma Shaeen, Research Associate, (SDPI) said that Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) can help the women of developing countries to better adapt to climate change induced disasters. She expressed that some of the potential areas in this context include the prevention from health risks through awareness raising and capacity building, enhancing food security through strengthening of agriculture systems, improvement of water resource management techniques and ensuring their participation in climate change negotiations.
She recommended that considering the wide gender digital divide in Pakistan, there is need to bring behavioral change in people, equally focusing on the provision of basic services. While giving concluding remarks Dr Rehana Siddique, head of Centre for Environmental Economics and Climate Change, Pakistan Institute of Development Economics (PIDE) said, “We don’t have the authentic data on impact of climate change on gender so far.” She highlighted the need to have empirical scientific information on the subject, its critical analysis and inclusion of gender sensitive policies in climate change frame work and its firm implementation.
