The Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) and the African Institute for Economic Development and Planning (IDEP) have held a webinar in which participants discussed ways member states and institutions could strengthen the engagement of women in climate information and services (CIS).
Development Diaries gathered that the participants identified and discussed the potential contribution of women in mitigating environmental damage and embedding climate justice in governance mechanisms as the world emerges from the Covid-19 pandemic.
Also, they talked about resources and networking opportunities to support women engagement in CIS, and identified bottlenecks and impediments in facilitating women involvement in CIS at national and sub-national levels.
The Director of ECA’s Technology, Climate Change and Natural Resource Management Division, Jean-Paul Adam, noted that investing in women as part of the climate change response was crucial as this would lead to environmental gains and greater returns across the sustainable development goals (SDGs), Africa’s Agenda 2063 and broader development objectives.
‘Women have significant knowledge and understanding of the changing environmental conditions, which could play a crucial role in identifying viable and practical community adaptation’, he said.
On the part of the Director of the ECA’s Gender, Poverty, and Social Policy Division, Keiso Matashane-Marite, she said that African governments and institutions should provide incentives for women and girls to engage in CIS and in the process help contribute towards poverty eradication and the attainment of the sustainable development goals.
Matashane-Marite also emphasised that there were close links between gender and climate, adding that gender inequalities exacerbate climate change vulnerabilities in communities.
Source: Itnews Online
Photo source: UN Women/Ryan Brown