ANNOUNCE Gender in Climate Change Congress

[<globalcongress2008.capwip_en]

Posted by <globalcongress2008.capwip_enviro@yahoo.com>

Dear Colleagues and Friends,

The Center for Asia-Pacific Women in Politics (CAPWIP) and the United
Nations International Strategy for Disaster Risk Reduction (UN/ISDR) are
pleased to invite you to the Third Global Congress of Women in Politics
and Governance which will be held on October 19-22, 2008 at the Dusit
Hotel, Makati City, Metro Manila, Philippines. The theme of the
congress is ""Gender in Climate Change and Disaster Risk Reduction.""

Women and environment experts have raised concern over the absence of
women in the discourse and debate on climate change and disaster risk
reduction, both of which are global mainstream issues that are
currently impacting the entire world. The involvement of women in areas
of environmental management and governance should not be perceived as an
afterthought. Women's roles are of considerable importance in the
promotion of environmental ethics.

The current imperative is for women to understand the phenomenon of
climate change and disaster risk reduction and their impacts and
implications at the individual, household, community and national
levels. Studies show that women have a definite information deficit on
climate politics, climate protection, and preparedness through disaster
risk reduction. Only with this information can women take their proper,
significant and strategic role in the issues of climate change and
disaster risk reduction.

Invited to this congress are parliamentarians, decision - makers in
national governments, environment organizations, youth leaders and media
practitioners, funding/ donor agencies/ organizations (Female and male
participants are welcome.)

The Congress will have the following objectives:

Overall Purpose: To provide a forum for legislators and decision-makers
in national governments and leaders at all levels in formulating
gender-responsive legislation and programs related to gender in climate
change and disaster risk reduction.

Specific Objectives:
a) to understand the phenomenon of climate change, its impacts, and its
implications and study the appropriate risk reduction strategy;

b) to review and examine the gender aspects in climate change and
disaster risk reduction and formulate appropriate actions to address these;

c) to define the roles women can play in addressing the impacts of
climate change and disaster risk reduction programs and policies at the
global, national and sub-national levels; and

d) to identify and define the action agenda for parliamentarians, policy
advocates, and women leaders to support global and national actions to
adapt gender responsive legislation and programs related to gender in
climate change and disaster risk reduction.

Congress Proceedings:

The discussion on gender in climate and disaster risk reduction change
will be organized around identifying the challenges to action as well as
defining the appropriate responses to effectively address the impacts of
climate change and disaster risk reduction. Inputs to the discussion
will be collected and organized around: 1) geographic location and 2)
types of actions: i.e. preparedness, risk reduction: building community
resilience; adaptation; and mitigation. Cross cutting these discussions
will be the identification of technologies in aid of responding to
climate change and preparedness thru disaster risk reduction.

The focus of the discussions will revolve around defining and
elaborating actions (i.e. preparedness, disaster risk reduction,
adaptation, and mitigation) to cope with climate change and its impacts
and preparedness and disaster risk reduction.

Preparedness and disaster risk reduction is about building individual
and community capacities to position themselves and their communities so
that the likelihood of climate change-induced disasters is reduced; the
intensity or adverse impacts of disasters are cushioned and that
inhabitants are able to respond promptly, expeditiously and effectively.
Adaptation entails actions that moderate harm, or exploit benefits, of
climate change. Mitigation entails actions that minimizes or cushions
the adverse impacts of climate change.

In all of these actions, special attention will be given to defining how
women and gender could be mainstreamed. In other words, the Congress
should define how women can be given the social space to participate,
influence, and benefit from global and local responses to climate change.

The registration fee for the four day congress is One thousand five
hundred fifty US Dollars (US$ 1,550.) per person for twin room sharing
accommodations (two persons in one room) and one thousand nine hundred
fifty US Dollars (US$ 1,950.) per person for single room accommodations
(one person in one room).

The training will be held on Oct 19-22, 2008. However, the participants
will be requested to be in Manila the day before, October 18, 2008 and
leave Manila only on October 23, 2008. The overnight hotel accommodation
on October 18, 2008 is already included in the fee. Participants will be
billeted in the Dusit Hotel, the venue of the congress and hotels near
the Dusit Hotel, accessible within walking distance. Room accommodations
in the Dusit Hotel, the venue of the Congress will be on a first come -
first served basis.


Importance of the Congress

Today, on the average, one person out of nineteen in a developing
country will be hit by a climate disaster, compared to 1 out of 1,500 in
an OECD country. Climate change creates life time traps: in Niger, a
child born during a drought is 72 percent more likely to be stunted than
a child born during a normal season.

We hope that your organization can send participants to the Third Global
Congress of Women in Politics and Governance. The Theme of “Gender in
Climate Change and Disaster Risk Reduction” is the first time this will
be discussed in a forum whose objective is to formulate gender
responsive legislation and policies for national governments and
parliaments.

We truly hope that the environment organizations will find this forum a
good opportunity to advocate gender and climate change policies and
programs through gender responsive legislation to the women
parliamentarians, decision makers, the youth leaders, media and the
funding agencies/organizations. Let us join hands in promoting gender
responsive governance through transformative leadership and citizenship.
We are looking forward to your participation.

Please download the full information sheet and registration form for
this Third Global Congress of Women in Politics and Governance from our
website, http://www.capwip.org/3rdglobalcongress.htm


Very truly yours,

(signed)
Jung-sook KIM (Ed.D.)
President
Center for Asia Pacific Women in Politics (CAPWIP)


Secretariat:
Center for Asia Pacific Women in Politics (CAPWIP)
YSTAPHIL Building, 4227-4229 Tomas Claudio Street
Parañaque City, Metro Manila, Philippines
Posted by <globalcongress2008.capwip_enviro@yahoo.com>
posting date Sun, 25 May 2008 10:49:16 +0800
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