Climate Change Issues To Be Incorporated Into Gender Policy

Madam Cecilia Abena Dapaah speaking at the Media launch of IWD in Accra

The Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection is reviewing and updating the National Gender Policy to include the emerging issues on climate change.

The review will entail the design of climate change mitigation and adaptation programs that will help reduce women’s and girls’ unpaid care work whilst strengthening collaboration with all the actors to ensure that gender is adequately mainstreamed in the management of climate change.

This was announced by Madam Cecilia Abena Dapaah, Minister for Sanitation and Water Resources and Caretaker Minister for the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection at the media launch of 2022 International Women’s Day.

The 2022 IWD, marked on March 8 every year, is themed, “Equality Today for a Sustainable Tomorrow” with a campaign theme #BreaktheBias.

Madam Dapaah said the current climate change crisis coupled with the COVID-19 pandemic has brought to the fore, the need to take appropriate actions that will ensure a better life for all especially, women, girls, the vulnerable, and the excluded.

“Women are increasingly being recognized as more vulnerable to climate change impacts than men as they are more dependent on the natural resources that threaten climate change the most.

There is, therefore, the need to recognize and advance gender equality in the context of climate change and disaster risk reduction,” she said.

Activities lined up for the celebration includes a cooking competition for males at the forecourt of the Ministry of Gender Children and Social Protection on March 4, ‘What Do You Know” Quiz Competition at the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation on March 6, and a Seminar on the topic: ‘Climate change; Empowering the Ghanaian women for a sustainable tomorrow’ in Accra on March 8.

Similar programmes will be held in all regions of the country.

International Women’s Day, is celebrated to increase awareness of women’s rights and equality in the context of the climate crisis and disaster risk reduction.

Deputy Head of Mission European Union (EU) Delegation to Ghana, Peter Smidt Van-Gelder, said the EU considers gender equality and empowerment of women and girls a fundamental human right adding that the group launched the 5-year “EU Gender Action Plan” in 2020 to make gender equality a priority of EU external actions across its policies, programming, and projects.

“We hope to ensure that women are supported and empowered across all sectors including those usually dominated by men such as infrastructure, digital, energy, and agriculture,” he said.

UN resident Coordinator, Charles Abani in a speech read on his behalf said advancing gender equality in the context of the climate crisis and disaster risk reduction is the greatest global challenge of the 21st century.

He thus called for urgent action; coordination and solutions from all levels.

By Jamila Akweley Okertchiri

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