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Women, Economic Development and the Environment   
September 10, 2010 — Women and girls make up 70 percent of the world’s poor and are often the ones who are traditionally responsible for collecting water, gathering firewood and tending the land for their families. These responsibilities already limit women’s educational and economic opportunities, and environmental issues exacerbate the situation. Women in sub Saharan Africa spend 40 billion hours per year collecting water. A shortage in firewood is affecting up to 40 percent of rural women in Latin America. As the environment around them starts to degrade, women spend increasing amounts of time completing tasks that are necessary for their families’ survival. Despite the direct effect that climate change has on women, environmental policies lack a gender perspective. The lack of women’s voices in the environmental debate is a missed opportunity as women have accumulated a vast wealth of knowledge about food and water management, as well as weather patterns and their effect on the community. This week in Mexico City, 20 Mexican women leaders have gathered for CEDPA’s Gender, Environment and Economic Development workshop. The workshop, sponsored by ExxonMobil’s Women’s Economic Opportunity Initiative and Mexico’s Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (SEMARNAT), is in its second year.
The week-long program provides participants with an understanding of the relationship and synergy among gender, economic development and the environment. The program builds the women’s knowledge and skills to advocate for gender responsive policies and implement programs that provide women with access to financial resources within the context of environmental activities. Throughout the program, participants benefit from the expertise of guest speakers, such as Dra. Ixtá Castañeda (pictured left). Dra. Castañeda is a gender expert for UNDP that is working with Mexico’s government to introduce gendered language to climate change policies at the United Nations Climate Change Conference that will be held in Cancun in December. The participants, from various environmental and women’s organizations throughout the country, are encouraged by the participatory environment to share their successes and failures. This south-to-south exchange allows them to learn from each other and strategize about new programs that can be implemented. The long-term goal of the workshop is to engage women in processes to influence environmental policy, programs and funding that promote equitable economic opportunity and security for women. Strengthening women’s economic participation is one of the essential components of sustainable environmental policies. At the end of the workshop, participants create action plans that will set objectives and activities for the six months to following. These plans serve as a roadmap for introducing new or improved initiatives in their organizations. Learn more about CEDPA’s workshops. |
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