Zonta International’s Statement on Climate Change is a call to action for members around the world.
The statement clearly outlines the case of climate change being a gender equality issue and highlights the following key actions.
Zonta International:
- Asks governments that have not yet signed the Paris Agreement to sign the Paris Agreement.
- Asks governments who signed the Paris Agreement to actively take into account human rights, gender equality and empowerment of women and girls in defining and implementing their national climate action plans, including gender-responsive measures that are more effective and respectful of human rights.
- Calls for governments and policymakers to uphold the principles of climate justice agreed to in the Paris Agreement and ensure that the most marginalized groups do not bear the brunt of the climate crisis.
- Calls on Governments to set up more gender-balanced governing bodies to integrate gender-sensitive climate change measures into national policies, strategies and planning, as per SDG 13.2 and the Paris Agreement.
- Calls on Governments to arrange education for girls and support girls’ access to education.
- Calls on Governments to include basic education on climate change and its consequences to nature and societies for all students, recognizing and addressing the social and economic factors aggravated by climate change (as per SDG13.3.1).
- Calls on Governments to ensure that climate adaptation and mitigation plans address the unique needs of women and the barriers to women’s full participation in the economy, including:
- Childcare and elder-care services.
- Occupational segregation.
- Informal work.
- The gender pay gap.
- Legal and social restrictions.
- Calls on Governments to include women in the formation of disaster preparedness and response plans. These plans should:
- Recognize the unique needs of women and girls.
- Prioritize their health and safety.
- Include responses to gender-based violence.
Zonta International calls on its members to:
- Increase their own awareness of climate change and on its gender-related consequences and raise awareness locally.
- Include gendered climate change advocacy actions in their advocacy plans.
- Support the inclusion of women at the national and local tables of decision-makers on environmental sustainability.
- Promote girls’ education and the inclusion of climate literacy in schools, as well as to promote girls’ science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) studies to increase gendered scientific and technical contributions to climate change mitigation.
- Advocate for national policies that take into account women’s economic opportunities and ensures their full and equal participation in the economy.
The climate is changing and we need to change too.
Zonta Says NOW will develop tools to help members and supporters implement these actions.
