BRIDGETOWN, BARBADOS (October 12, 2012)– From October 9th to October 11th, WEDO’s Rachel Harris attended an expert meeting to determine a range of approaches to address loss and damage associated with the adverse effects of climate change, including impacts related to extreme weather events and slow onset events. In collaboration with GenderCC, WEDO prepared a note to Parties outlining why, in their consideration of a decision on a work programme for Loss and Damage, Parties should incorporate gender mainstreaming as an approach that will enhance efforts to address loss and damage associated with the adverse effects of climate change through:

1)       ensuring women’s equitable participation in decision-making and L&D activities,
2)       assessing gender-differentiated vulnerability and prioritized needs,
3)       integrating women’s particular vulnerability in the L&D accounting processes,
4)       providing gender-sensitive training, education and creating immediate and urgent actions to address L&D that are inclusive of vulnerable constituencies, particularly vulnerable women.

Download the rest of the guidance note here. 

International Day of Disaster Risk Reduction (IDDR)
WEDO’s participation in this meeting is particularly important given that tomorrow, October 13th is the International Day of Disaster Reduction (IDDR) and the theme for this year is “Women & Girls- The [in]Visible Force of Resilience,”  working to ensure that women and girls are empowered to fully contribute to sustainable development through disaster risk reduction, particularly in the areas of environmental and natural resource management; governance; and urban and land use planning and social and economic planning – the key drivers of disaster risk.

Further Resources:

• Gender and Disaster Network
• Integrating Gender in Disaster Management in Small Island Developing States: A Guide. Caribbean Risk Management Initiative and UNDP (2012)
• Making disaster risk reduction and relief programmes LGBTI inclusive: examples from Nepal (2012)
• GGCA, Training Manual on Gender and Climate Change (2009)
• Gender matters lessons for disaster risk reduction in South Asia (2007)
• The Gendered natural of natural Disasters: The Impact of Catastrophic Events on the Gender Gap in Life Expectancy, 1981-2002. (2007)
• Reaching out to women when disaster strikes (2007)
• Gender Differences in Human Loss and vulnerability in Natural Disasters: A case Study from Bangladesh (1995)