Nigerian Ambassador hosts Rio+20 women ministers and leaders meeting on International Women's Day
WECF supports UNEP secretariat in organising an informal meeting of the Network of Women Ministers and Leaders for the Environment (NWMLE)
09.03.2011 | Sascha Gabizon
The Nigerian Ambassador to the UN, Professor Joy Ogwu, hosted the women ministers and leaders meeting on 8 March 2011, International Women's Day, at the mission in New York. 27 women ministers, heads of delegations and civil society leaders shared their ideas for piority areas for the Rio+20 summit, for which draft negotiation texts are being prepared this year. The chair of the meeting, deputy minister of environment of Mexico, Mrs Sandra Herrera and and executive coordinator of UNCSD2012, Liz Thompson gave an introduction to the discussion. The meeting was held under Chatham-house rules, the report provides therefore the general tenor of the discussion.
Around the table the delegates discussed the different perceptions and definitions of "green economy", and brought forward that social equity and gender equity should be firmly included in the criteria. The "Green Economy" was seen as a tool but not as replacing the Sustainable Development concept. Best practices should be identified, which can be upscaled, and others mentioned the need to focus on rural women, giving the example of UNWOMEN's plans for a solar program for rural women.
On international governance, it was suggested that all international governance structures should look at gender balance in their structures, including in committees for allocation of global funds and technology assessment.
Another priority area pointed at by delegates was the focus on poverty eradication, through the involvement of women in the "green" economy, Rio+20 should bring clear outcomes, sector-based, e.g. in the area of water, sanitation and health, other delegates mentioned the areas of energy, production and consumption and urbanization (including water management, waste and sanitation).
The UNEP secretariat suggested that the input by the Network of Women Ministers and Leaders can be strategic in assuring that priorities of women leaders are included in the Outcomes of Rio+20. The suggestion is to cluster priorities by regions, during the regional Prepcoms for Rio+20.
For more information contact: Janet Macharia at UNEP, or Sascha Gabizon at WECF
WECF's Rio+20 project receives financial support from the Federal Ministry of Environment of Germany
Related News
Inspiring activities and results of the Women's Major Group and WECF at the Rio+20 summit
An overview of some of the positions and activities of the many, which were organised by members of the Women’s Major Group during the 2 weeks of the Rio+20 negotiations and events from 13 – 22 of June 2012, Brazil
16.07.2012 | WECF International Newsletter
Rio+20 Commitments by the Network of Women Ministers and WECF
The Network of Women Ministers and Leaders for the Environment, of which WECF is one of the civil society members, met at the Rio+20 summit in Brazil on the 20th of June, and presented its commitments to strengthen women's leadership in Sustainable Development, alongside UN Women, UNDP, IUCN and UNEP, during an event organised in the UNEP pavilion.
13.07.2012 | WECF News
Women creating food sovereignty
Women organisations from Pakistan, Colombia, Zimbabwe and Papua New Guinnea showed case studies of how their food sovereignty and livelihoods are being destroyed by commercial logging, mining and industrial agriculture activities, and how women are resisting.
12.07.2012 | WECF News
Key gains and losses in the Rio+20 negotiations from the perspective of gender equality and women’s priorities
Coming to Rio, it was already clear that the outcome document would be weak. The draft document contained some very worrying language against human rights, women’s rights, indigenous people’s rights, and against the precautionary principle
06.07.2012 | WECF International
Human right to water and sanitation – attacked from a transboundary perspective during the Rio+20 negotiations
Article by Sascha Gabizon, Executive Director, WECF Women in Europe for a Common Future. WECF was organising partner for the Major Group “Women” for the Rio+20 negotiations
28.06.2012 | Sascha Gabizon
