“The women of the world are asking to be part of the solution and not the victims of deficient decisions,” said Lorena Aguilar, Global Senior Gender Advisor for the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) at the start of the UNFCCC negotiations currently taking place in Bangkok, Thailand, ahead of the UNFCCC climate negotiations to be held in Copenhagen, Denmark, from 7 – 18 December 2009.

“We can no longer ignore gender as a crucial element in the UNFCCC negotiating process. By ignoring the importance of gender in the climate change debate, we will be responsible for the death and impoverishment of millions of people – many who already suffer extreme poverty, hardship and indignation.”

Aguilar made the remarks at the start of the UNFCCC negotiations currently being held in Bangkok, Thailand. Aguilar is the main author of a groundbreaking training manual linking climate change and gender. The Training Manual on Gender and Climate Change released on behalf of the Global Gender Climate Alliance (GGCA), draws on the scientific data from alliance partners of the alliance and more than 30 years of project level work done in the field in Latin America, Africa, Asia and the Caribbean.

Established in 2007, the Global Gender and Climate Alliance is fast becoming the most authoritative voice on gender and climate issues globally. The alliance consists of 12 United Nations agencies and institutions and 23 civil society and international organizations.

Whilst the link between gender and climate change is not readily recognized, the work done by the GGCA clearly illustrates that incorporating a gender perspective in all climate change policies and initiatives is critical to solving the climate crisis.

For the complete article, please see  IUCN