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HSN Vienna, March 13th 2008
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The fourth international event of the HSN Greek Presidency focused on Climate Change, Human Security and Women. It was organised in the form of a panel discussion on “Climate Change and Human Security: Women, a most vulnerable group” by the Permanent Missions of Greece and Austria to the United Nations in Vienna, Members of the Diplomatic Corps in Vienna (Permanent Missions to UN, OSCE; bilateral Embassies) as well as representatives of UN-Organizations, international organisations, NGOs and the media were invited to participate in the discussion.
The event focussed on women as particularly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change due to the fact that they represent the majority of the world’s poor and often carry the main responsibility for food and water supplies. The negative effects of climate change are felt disproportionately by women, particularly in developing countries, in times of crisis, and in their role of managing the home (nutrition, care giving, etc.). Speakers at the roundtable included the Secretary General of the Austrian Foreign Ministry, Mr. J. Kyrle, the Greek Foreign Ministry’s Secretary General for International Economic Relations & Development Co-operation and Special Representative for Climate Change, Mr. T. Skylakakis, the Secretary General for Equality, Ms. E. Tsoumani, and the Secretary of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), Ms. R. Christ.
In his introductory statement Mr. Skylakakis stated that according to the statistical evidence gathered so far, women comprise the majority of victims of both natural disasters and extreme weather conditions resulting from climate change brought on by human activity. For example, it is estimated that in the areas of Indonesia hardest hit by the tsunami, 55-80% of the victims were women, while 70% of the victims of the 2003 heat wave in France were women.
The Secretary General for Equality stressed that women are more susceptible to climate change, but can also make a particularly positive contribution to dealing with it due to their different approach to the problem. The IPCC Secretary stated, among other things, that women – with their greater sensitivity to environmental issues – have a special role to play in climate change mitigation, not only through their running of the home and shaping of children’s attitudes to the environment, but also on the level of political decision-making.
A draft HSN policy paper on Climate Change and Women, prepared by the Women’s Environment and Development Organization (WEDO), was also presented and discussed. For additional info please click here
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