Targeting Gender: Best Practices and Ways Forward
Sharing reflections on the draft post-2020 Gender Plan of Action in a side event to advance gender considerations in the post-2020 global biodiversity framework and its implementation led to interesting insights.
The first day of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) meetings in Geneva witnessed not only the opening statements of Parties and observers, but also the side event "Targeting Gender: Best Practices and Ways Forward." It provided a platform to advance gender considerations in the post-2020 global biodiversity framework and its implementation through sharing reflections on the draft post-2020 Gender Plan of Action.
The event was co-hosted by Women4Biodiversity and the CBD Secretariat, and co-convened by other organizations.
Keynote speaker CBD Executive Secretary Elizabeth Maruma Mrema said that gender is indeed a biodiversity issue, and relates the importance of seeing women as "actors and leaders of change." Co-Chairs for the CBD's Open-Ended Working Group for Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework Francis Ogwal and Basil van Havre agreed that gender can be captured more in the post-2020 global biodiversity framework, with the support of Parties.
Benjamin Schachter, Human Rights Officer of the Officer of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights maintained that "women's rights are human rights," and this includes the recently UN-recognized "right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment."
Cristina Eghenter of WWF International says that "to be nature-positive by 2030, we need to be gender-positive." WWF supports the strengthening of gender equality in the post-2020 global biodiversity framework, including supporting a stand-alone gender target. Eghenter also pointed to the need for a strong Gender Plan of Action and indicators.
Katherine Despot-Belmonte, senior programme officer of the UN Environment Programme - World Conservation Monitoring Centre and Guadalupe Yesenia Hernandez Marquez of the International Indigenous Forum on Biodiversity (IIFB) and the Indigenous Women's Biodiversity Network (IWBN) recognized the opportunities of integrating gender in the post-2020 global biodiversity framework.
During the event, the CBD Secretariat also launched the book
"Best Practices in Gender and Biodiversity: Pathways for multiple benefits," which has 10 varied case studies. The case studies bring detailed perspective on different steps they were taking on different types of programming and policy and issues related to biodiversity around the world," gender officer Tanya McGregor said.
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