ANNOUNCE Gender in Climate Change Congress (SD7053)

Sun May 25 06:01:30 CDT 2008

Posted by  <globalcongress2008.capwip_enviro at yahoo.com>

Dear Colleagues and Friends,

The Center for Asia-Pacific Women in Politics (CAPWIP) and the United 
Nations International Strategy for Disaster Risk Reduction (UN/ISDR) are 
pleased to invite you to the Third Global Congress of Women in Politics 
and Governance which will be held on October 19-22, 2008 at the Dusit 
Hotel, Makati City, Metro Manila, Philippines.  The theme of the 
congress is "Gender in  Climate Change and Disaster Risk Reduction."

Women and environment experts have raised concern over the absence of 
women in the discourse and debate on climate change and disaster risk 
reduction, both of which are  global mainstream issues  that are 
currently impacting the entire world. The involvement of women in areas 
of environmental management and governance should not be perceived as an 
afterthought. Women's roles are of considerable importance in the 
promotion of environmental ethics.

The current imperative is for women to understand the phenomenon of 
climate change and disaster risk reduction and their impacts and 
implications at the individual, household, community and national 
levels. Studies show that women have a definite information deficit on 
climate politics, climate protection, and preparedness through disaster 
risk reduction.  Only with this information can women take their proper, 
significant and strategic role in the issues of climate change and 
disaster risk reduction.

Invited to this congress are  parliamentarians, decision - makers in 
national governments, environment organizations, youth leaders and media 
practitioners, funding/ donor agencies/ organizations (Female and male 
participants are welcome.)

The Congress will have the following objectives:

Overall Purpose: To provide a forum for legislators and decision-makers 
in national governments and leaders at all levels in formulating 
gender-responsive legislation and programs related to gender in climate 
change and disaster risk reduction.

Specific Objectives:
a) to understand the phenomenon of climate change, its impacts, and its 
implications and study the appropriate risk reduction strategy;

b) to review and examine the gender aspects in climate change and 
disaster risk reduction and formulate appropriate actions to address these;

c) to define the roles women can play in addressing the impacts of 
climate change and disaster risk reduction programs and policies  at the 
global, national and sub-national levels; and

d) to identify and define the action agenda for parliamentarians, policy 
advocates, and women leaders to support global and national actions to 
adapt gender responsive legislation and programs related to gender in 
climate change and disaster risk reduction.

Congress Proceedings:

The discussion on gender in climate and disaster risk reduction change 
will be organized around identifying the challenges to action as well as 
defining the appropriate responses to effectively address the impacts of 
climate change and disaster risk reduction. Inputs to the discussion 
will be collected and organized around: 1) geographic location and 2) 
types of actions: i.e. preparedness, risk reduction: building community 
resilience; adaptation; and mitigation. Cross cutting these discussions 
will be the identification of technologies in aid of responding to 
climate change and preparedness thru disaster risk reduction.

The focus of the discussions will revolve around defining and 
elaborating actions (i.e. preparedness, disaster risk reduction, 
adaptation, and mitigation) to cope with climate change and its impacts 
and preparedness and disaster risk reduction.

Preparedness and disaster risk reduction is about building individual 
and community capacities to position themselves and their communities so 
that the likelihood of climate change-induced disasters is reduced; the 
intensity or adverse impacts of disasters are cushioned and that 
inhabitants are able to respond promptly, expeditiously and effectively. 
Adaptation entails actions that moderate harm, or exploit benefits, of 
climate change.  Mitigation entails actions that minimizes or cushions 
the adverse impacts of climate change.

In all of these actions, special attention will be given to defining how 
women and gender could be mainstreamed. In other words, the Congress 
should define how women can be given the social space to participate, 
influence, and benefit from global and local responses to climate change.

The registration fee for the four day congress is One thousand five 
hundred fifty US Dollars (US$ 1,550.) per person for twin room sharing 
accommodations (two persons in one room) and one thousand nine hundred 
fifty US Dollars (US$ 1,950.) per person for single room accommodations 
(one person in one room).

The training will be held on Oct 19-22, 2008. However, the participants 
will be requested to be in Manila the day before, October 18, 2008 and 
leave Manila only on October 23, 2008. The overnight hotel accommodation 
on October 18, 2008 is already included in the fee. Participants will be 
billeted in the Dusit Hotel, the venue of the congress and hotels near 
the Dusit Hotel, accessible within walking distance. Room accommodations 
in the Dusit Hotel, the venue of the Congress will be on a first come - 
first served basis.

Importance of the Congress

Today, on the average, one person out of nineteen in a developing 
country will be hit by a climate disaster, compared to 1 out of 1,500 in 
an OECD country. Climate change creates life time traps: in Niger, a 
child born during a drought is 72 percent more likely to be stunted than 
a child born during a normal season.

We hope that your organization can send participants to the Third Global 
Congress of Women in Politics and Governance. The Theme of “Gender in 
Climate Change and Disaster Risk Reduction” is the first time this will 
be discussed in a forum whose objective is to formulate gender 
responsive legislation and policies for national governments and 
parliaments.

We truly hope that the environment organizations will find this forum a 
good opportunity to advocate gender and climate change policies and 
programs through gender responsive legislation to the women 
parliamentarians, decision makers, the youth leaders, media and the 
funding agencies/organizations. Let us join hands in promoting gender 
responsive governance through transformative leadership and citizenship. 
We are looking forward to your participation.

Please download the full information sheet and registration form for 
this Third Global Congress of Women in Politics and Governance from our 
website, http://www.capwip.org/3rdglobalcongress.htm

Very truly yours,

(signed)
Jung-sook KIM (Ed.D.)
President
Center for Asia Pacific Women in Politics (CAPWIP)

Secretariat:
Center for Asia Pacific Women in Politics (CAPWIP)
YSTAPHIL Building, 4227-4229 Tomas Claudio Street
Parañaque City, Metro Manila, Philippines
Posted by  <globalcongress2008.capwip_enviro at yahoo.com>
posting date  Sun, 25 May 2008 10:49:16 +0800