Download Introduction Definition of Key Terms

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The Hague International Model United Nations Qatar 2017 | 24 – 27 of January 2017
Forum:
Environment Commission
Issue:
Implementing the Paris Agreement through gender-responsive
actions
Student Officer: Gifty Tawiah, Zoe Martin-Parkinson, Fatima Abdeen
Position:
President and Co-chairs
Introduction
The issue of climate change is a problem that is causing widespread environmental and
economic damage and in order to ensure our sustainability and survival while facing this threat, it is
crucial for women to be integrated into responses combating climate change. On April 22, 2016 the Paris
Agreement; an international treaty aiming to strengthen the global response to climate change by
pursuing to limit the increase of temperature below 1.5 degrees celsius, was signed by 175 parties and is
being put into effect on November 4th, 2016.
Unfortunately, there are still gender inequalities which limit women’s access to education, land,
financial aid, and other rights and opportunities which prevents them from contributing to the global effort
against climate change. The unequal participation of women in labor markets and politics damage
economic growth and stability as well as decision making on how best to handle this problem. Although
we are all affected by climate change, it affects women and men differently due to the gender gap which
prevents women from accessing resources or opportunities that can help them find solutions, which is
why it is important to integrate women into climate change policies and discussions - to get different
points of view on a serious issue that still lacks a strong solution. Addressing these inequalities and
problems will make the goals of the Paris Agreement along with economic sustainability, and reducing
Co2 emissions much more achievable since we will be able to take action together, with men and
women.
Definition of Key Terms
Paris Agreement
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The Paris Agreement which was signed on April 22, 2016, aims to enhance the purpose and
implementation of the UNFCCC by increasing adaptation to climate change, keeping global temperature
levels from rising, and paving a path for consistent finances towards low greenhouse gas emissions and
climate change resilience development. It was put into action on November 4th, 2016.
Gender Gap
The gender gap refers to the differences between men and women consisting of opportunities,
rights, status etc. Many women are unable to help the fight against climate change due to lack of
opportunities, education or resources, things that are part of the gender gap. Closing the gender gap is a
crucial and big step towards gender equality and helping combat climate change by allowing women to
join the global effort.
Climate Change
Climate change is the change of climate patterns on a regional or global scale, and an issue
which became apparent in the mid late 20th century. It is considered to have been largely affected by the
increase in greenhouse emissions and is currently posing a threat to the sustainability of ecosystems,
biodiversity and Less Economically Developed Countries.
Global Warming
Global warming is the increase of the temperature of the Earth’s atmosphere due to the high
emissions of greenhouse gases which are produced from burning fossil fuels and deforestation, which
then proceed to trap and absorb heat into the atmosphere which would otherwise escape from Earth’s
atmosphere and into space. Global warming is seen as a major factor for climate change and as the
cause for effects such as loss of sea ice, longer heat waves, and rising sea levels. Greenhouse gases
refer to carbon dioxide, methane, and other gases, nearly all of which are produced by us and other
organisms on a daily basis. Some of the biggest sources of greenhouse gas emissions are the burning
of fossil fuels( ex. Coal, petroleum, natural gases), combustion of wood and carbohydrates,
transportation and the use of electricity.
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change is an international treaty which
was negotiated in Rio De Janeiro and signed on June 4th 1992. The convention aimed to set outlines for
protocols and treaties to limit the emissions of greenhouse gases and led to the drafting and signing of
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the Paris Agreement and Kyoto Protocol, both of which aimed to decrease carbon dioxide emissions and
prevent the planet’s temperature from rising further.
Ecosystem
An ecosystem is a community consisting of a habitat, resources, and organisms. Climate change
has a huge impact on ecosystems, since a change in weather pattern can force species to migrate to
different areas, and climate change can cause stress on an ecosystem’s terrain. When an ecosystem is
endangered, it means that its resources, habitat, organisms, and biodiversity is in danger as well, all of
which are crucial to the idea of sustainable development and solutions to adapting to climate change.
Ecosystems play a crucial role in providing natural resources which can be an important part of a country
or person’s economic well being.
Gender Equality
Gender equality is when everyone is given the same opportunities and treated the same
regardless of gender. Gender equality consists of many different components, such as equality in the
workplace, in education, in government participation etc. Gender equality is a key part in integrating
women into climate change policies and generating gender-responsive actions since many women
around the world are unable to participate in combating climate change due to gender inequality.
Background Information
Climate change is one of the most dangerous and pressing issues of our time, affecting
the lives and habitats of millions of people and animals, while damaging our environments and
biodiversity, things which are critical to economic and environmental sustainability. The biggest factor to
climate change is the emission of greenhouse gases caused by human activities, while greenhouse
gases are emitted naturally from many organisms it is estimated that emissions have risen 90% since
1990. In 1824 a French physicist named Joseph Fourier was the first to describe something known as
the “ Greenhouse effect”. The greenhouse effect is described as the entrapment of heat within the
Earth’s atmosphere by greenhouse gasses. The Earth is able to get energy in the form of sunlight from
the sun, approximately 80% of this sunlight is then reflected off of the bright surface of sea ice back into
space. However, due to the greenhouse gases surrounding our planet’s atmosphere, this heat is instead
absorbed by our Earth. The increased temperature of our planet as a whole started a chain of extremely
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negative effects, such as the melting of the polar ice caps which are crucial to the reflection of sunlight
and as they melt, are now influential to the issue of rising sea levels as well as seen as the components
of the term “ climate change”.
Gender - Responsive Actions
While the Paris Agreement is a very recent policy taking action against climate change, it is not
the first to mention and highlight the importance of women on the issue of climate change. One of the
nine stakeholders of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), known
as Women and Gender Constituency aims to set guidelines and suggestions to countries on how to
implement women effectively when brainstorming solutions to climate change. The group actively
participates in UN negotiations, coming up with and suggesting gender - based solutions or plans to
counter climate change.
In December of 2014 parties at the twentieth session of the Conference of the Parties developed
and adopted the Lima work programme on Gender, which aims to accelerate the implementation of
gender-responsive climate change policies and mandates.
Major Countries and Organizations Involved
People’s Republic of China
China is the biggest source of greenhouse gas emissions in the world, emitting 10,540,000
kilotons of carbon dioxide just from 2014. China together with the United States came together in 2016
after negotiations to ratify the Paris Agreement, an international treaty which will have countries working
on adaptation to climate change, keeping global temperature levels from rising, and paving a path for
consistent finances towards low greenhouse gas emissions and climate change resilience development:
This marked a huge step forward for China since together with the United States they make up 40% of
the world’s greenhouse gas emissions. By ratifying the Paris Agreement China will tackle the challenge
of climate change, focusing on gender equality and gender-responsive solutions which are stated in the
preambles and operatives of the treaty.
United States of America
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The United States of America is one of the biggest contributors of greenhouse gas emissions in
the world, second to the People’s Republic of China. In 2014 research showed that the U.S was
responsible for about 5,334,000 kilotonnes in carbon dioxide emissions. Despite being a major
contributor to greenhouse gases the United States has been a leading party to combat climate change
and develop solutions, most recently helping 190 countries come together to negotiate the Paris
Agreement. With the People’s Republic of China, the U.S ratified the agreement in December 2015 and
by doing so will, will be focusing on gender equality and gender-responsive solutions while helping lead
discussions and development on countering climate change.
Timeline of Events
Date
Description of event
23rd October 2014
European Union leaders decide on a 2030 framework and a set of 4
targets to be accomplished by 2030
18th September
2015
Environmental council agrees with the set targets by the European Union
to reduce greenhouse emissions by 50% by the year 2030
10th November 2015 Meeting with Economic and financial affairs council to finalize the climate
finances needed to fulfill the target for 2030
30th November –
The Paris Climate change conference is held in Paris with 150 countries
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11 December 2015 meeting to discuss and negotiate legally binding climate change
agreements
4th June 2016
EC ratifies Paris agreement
5th October 2016
EU ratifies Paris agreement
4th November 2016
Paris agreement put into motion
Relevant UN Treaties and Events
●
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, 4 June 1992
●
Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer, 22 March 1985
●
Kyoto Protocol, 11 December 1997
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Mainstreaming gender equality and empowerment of women in climate change policies
and strategies, 4th March 2011 (E/CN.6/2011/L.1)
●
Paris Agreement, 22 April 2016
●
Bonn Climate Change Conference, May 2016, SBI 44
Possible Solutions
The integration of gender-responsive actions, is critical for long term sustainability and success of
climate change actions for the developed and developing countries. By ensuring the full effectivity of
participation of women in the decision making processes, the gaps and barriers prevention the
involvement of women as decision makers can be overcome and conquered instead of just
strengthened.
The UNFCCC have proposed 5 key steps in realising the full implementation of the Paris
Agreement through gender-responsive measures and actions. The steps are gender analysis;
project/programme/policy preparation and design; gender-responsive budgeting; implementation;
monitoring and evaluation.
Gender Analysis
The gender analysis should provide the necessary data, which is both quantitative and
qualitative, required to conceive and place policies or actions. It consists of the inspection and study of
the differences in men and women’s participation in economic and social life as well as identify the
impact the agreement would cause on their lives. The gender analysis process would require the
identification of area where there is a need for further collection of data and studying. This step should
be assumed at the planning stage as it is the first key step of establishing a baseline.
The collection of data can be done through interviews, surveys, community and social mapping,
consultations and focus groups. It can also be founded from existing data such as national gender
statistics.
The gender analysis stage will determine the types of events and actions required in the
implementation stage, designation of budget and resources needed for the hiring of gender experts,
workshops, fieldwork and other gender-responsive actions thereby informing the monitoring and
evaluation process.
Project/Programme/Policy Preparation and Design
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Based on the collection and completion of the gender analysis step, designing a genderresponsive intervention by identifying the key gender goals and entry points for gender considerations in
the common goal of the Paris Agreement, will be attainable.
Including personnel with gender expertise in the project design team is crucial to the effective
mainstreaming of gender. As both men and women are able to exhibit a lack of awareness and/or
knowledge in regards to gender concepts, the accounting for gender expertise is key. Thus, although
including women at all levels of leadership is an important step, what is even more crucial is the skill
development and strengthening for all personnel related to gender concepts.
The development of a ‘gender goal’ for the intervention should be the starting point for designing
gender-responsive activities.The identification of the gender results serves as an entry point for the
positioning and the framing of gender equality objectives. Clear commitments will enable effective
formulation of deliverables (indicators), which establish he continued focus on gender issues.
Gender-responsive Budgeting
The third stage, gender-responsive budgeting, aims to convert gender commitment into budget
commitments. Identifying the different impacts of the budget on women and men, and making
adjustments in order to ensure resources are distributed effectively to accomplish equatable results.
Sufficient financial resource distribution is one of the biggest challenges in the efforts to
implement gender mainstreaming.The cost of gender mainstreaming activities should be delineated in
the primary gender analysis and included in the overall budget of the intervention.
The effectiveness of initiatives increases when work is mainstreamed across ministries and
guided by another ministry with most considerable political influence and technical expertise. Therefore,
ministries such as the Ministry of Finance should be guiding the exercise whilst the Ministry of
Environment follows.
Implementation
The implementation team should consist of a gender expert, along with team members whom
have a deep and thorough understanding of gender issues. This should also apply to partners and
stakeholders as it will allow for a more resilient gender responsivity even after completion of the project.
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In order to establish a strong team, members and stakeholders must be assessed to set up
workshops and training sessions which help with gender perceptions. Moreover, having women-focused
groups or gender focal groups, will allow for better response.
Involving multisectoral teams will help pinpoint focus groups of specific men and women, and
consult with the as well as help to identify conditions where women may have a higher knowledge and
expertise such as comprehension of household subsistence and therefore use of natural resources.
Monitoring and Evaluation
The final stage is the monitoring and evaluating process. It is dependant on the baseline data
gathered from the gender analysis stage, and the indicators from the preparation and design stage for
the monitoring of how responsive the policies and actions are undertaken to the genders.
The impacts and progress should be monitored in relating to the gender targets and form from
the indicators of the design stage, to the overall monitoring/evaluation plan to identify good practices that
can further the promotion of gender equality and remediate any issues face during the implementation.
Bibliography
“Gender Equality aid_Belgium.” doi:10.1787/888932514171.
Unfccc.com. “Gender-Responsiveness Crucial for Effective Climate Change ActionWorkshop at Bonn
Meeting May 18-19.” UNFCCC, newsroom.unfccc.int/climate-action/gender-responsiveness-crucialeffective-climate-change-action/.
“Investments for Gender-Responsive Sustainable Development.” 2014 World Survey on the Role of
Women in Development World Survey of the Role of Women in Development, 2014, pp. 90–109.
doi:10.18356/a5aa511b-en.
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. “Gender and Climate Change.” Gender
and Climate Change, unfccc.int/gender_and_climate_change/items/7516.php.
“United Nations Official Document.” UN News Center, UN,
www.un.org/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=e%2fcn.6%2f2011%2fl.1.
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www.consilium.europa.eu/en/policies/climate-change/timeline/.
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