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Network of Women Ministers and Leaders for the Environment

Wikis > Network of Women Ministers and Leaders for the Environment
The Network of Women Ministers and Leaders for the Environment (NWMLE) is a one-day pre-session event that was organized in margin of the United NationsEP (United Nations for the Environment) 25th session of the Governing Council / Global Ministerial Environment Forum (GC/GMEF). It took place on February 15, 2009 in Nairobi. It was created to answer the “need to ensure gender responsive environmental policies”Network for Women and Leaders for the Environment’s main page.

About the Governing Council / Global Ministerial Environment Forum

The UNEP Governing Council / Global Ministerial Environment Forum is a forum organized every year in order to “review important and emerging policy issues in the field of the environment”UNEP Overview.

The 25th Session of the GC/GMEF took place from 16 to 20 February 2009, in Nairobi, Kenya. This conference was centred on two main themes:

  1. Globalisation and the environment – global crises: national chaos?
  2. International environmental governance (IEG) and United nations reform – IEG: help or hindrance? IEG from a country perspectivePresident’s summary of the 25th Session of the GC/GMEF

Objective and Proceedings of the High Level Gender Forum

The Network of Women Ministers and Leaders for the Environment (NWMLE), also known under the name of High Level Gender Forum, had to discuss the same themes than the GC/GMEF, but from a gender perspective. They also had to define a “list of concrete priority actions that the international community and individual governments need to address to improve the lives of women and men.”

The theme of the High Level Gender Forum was defined as“Bridging the Gap: Gender Transforming Environmental Management”. Three sessions were held:

  1. The plenary session discussed the two themes of the GC/GMEF from a gender perspective.
  2. A first session addressed the question: “Moving towards a green economy”
  3. A second parallel session dealt with “The role of governance in responding to challenges and capturing opportunities”.

Recommendations by the Network of Women Ministers and Leaders for the Environment Draft recommendations by the Network of Women Ministers and Leaders for the Environment

To GMEF

  • Gender and environment should be fully integrated in the country level programme development, implementation, analysis and evaluation.
  • Gender should not be considered as a sectoral issue but be “mainstreamed as an integral part of all sectors”

On Theme 1: Globalisation and the environment – global crises: national chaos?

  • Women’s needs and concerns have to be included in international discussions on energy, water and food security.
  • Studies have to be conducted in order to know the gender impact on resources use and the gender-differentiated impact of environmental disasters.
  • Women have to be empowered through recognizing them as decision makers on water management, on agriculture and rural development, etc.

On Theme 2: International environmental governance (IEG) and United nations reform – IEG: help or hindrance? IEG from a country perspective

Women – in particular grassroots women – should have “an equal place in decision-making processes”. NWMLE recommends the creation of “regional, sub –regional and national parliamentary networks” establishing a “network of women parliamentarians on gender and environment”. NWLME underlines the fact green political parties are “effective instruments” and that women would be empowered by participating into parliamentary networks through them.

Follow-up

The 26th Session of the the Governing Council / Global Ministerial Environment Forum (GC/GMEF) will be held from 21 to 24 February 2011 in Nairobi, Kenya.UNEP: About the 26th Session of the GC/GMEF

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See also

 

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