ANALYSIS: Increasing Women's Participation in Climate Change Negotiations

Climate change is the most urgent and critical issue of our time. Ensuring equitable participation of women and men in developing solution to this challenge is paramount to moving towards a sustainable future. Women's participation at all levels is integral to achieving the goals of sustainable development and poverty alleviation; as women and children are the ones greatly affected by the impact of climate change. Therefore, the need to widen the understanding among climate change decision-makers and experts on the relationship between gender and climate change and to integrate gender perspective into the climate agreement cannot be overemphasized.

The reason for this is that, in order for the adaptation and mitigation measures to address climate change to be effective; it requires that women play major roles in these activities. Adaptation measures concern, among other things, agriculture, food production and household water consumption.

In developing countries, many of these activities are undertaken by women. In addition, tree planting and the use of renewable energy sources for household consumption contribute largely to mitigation efforts, to a large extent involves on the decision- making of the women.

Recognizing this, the Women's Delegate Fund (WDF) was established in 2009 with the support of the Finnish Government. The WDF is a project of the Global Gender and Climate Alliance (GGCA) implemented by UNDP and administered by Women's Environment and Development Organization ( WEDO).

The objective of the WDF is promote women' participation in the ongoing international negotiations on climate change by supporting and building the capacity of women from least dev eloped countries who formed part of the countries delegation to participate in all climate change activities. This support is done through the following: A) information sharing, awareness and training, B) financial support for the participation of female representatives from the least developed countries and C) advocacy work among delegations in order to integrate gender perspective in the negotiations and agreements.

In 2009 at the Copenhagen summit, the WDF supported 21 delegates and for this 2010 Cancun summit, 11 delegates have been supported under the WDF, including a delegate from Liberia - Mrs . Sieane Abdul-Baki, from the Ministry of Gender and Development of Liberia.

At the COP 16 summit, WEDO has again supported the participation of Mrs. Abdul- Baki, who is the representative of the Ministry of Gender on the REDD Technical Working Group of Liberia following her return from the COP 15 Copenhagen Summit in2009. In addition, she has been undergoing training sessions and daily networking meetings, as well participating in the negotiation meetings along with the other delegates from Liberia.

During one of the WDF daily meetings, Liberia was provided the opportunity to highlight the various efforts and initiatives undertaken to promote women's participation in climate change activities. To begin the presentation, Mrs. Adbul- Baki pointed out the key achievement (number of women representatives on Liberia's delegation, including female forest dweller- female paramount chief). Further elucidation of Liberia's efforts in gender mainstreaming was done by Madam Anya Vohiri, Executive Director of Environment Protection Agency of Liberia. Madam Elizabeth Jelleh, a female traditional leader from the Sapo Park representing the traditional forest dweller was also given the chance to provide on perspective on the issue of gender and climate change.

Liberia and Finland have had a growing relationship in the area of gender empowerment since the co-hosting of the International Colloquium on Women, Peace, Security and leadership was held in Monrovia, Liberia in 2009, where a session on gender and climate change was held resulting in the adoption of the Call for Action on Climate Change.