Seminar discusses gender equality in context of climate change, biodiversity loss

BEIJING, March 8 (Xinhua) -- Advancing gender equality in the context of climate change and biodiversity loss is one of the greatest sustainable development challenges of our time, according to experts at a global symposium held in Beijing on Tuesday.

The symposium, in celebration of International Women's Day 2022 (IWD 2022), was jointly hosted by the Center for China and Globalization and UN Women, an organization delivering programs and policies to uphold women's human rights.

IWD 2022, themed "Gender equality today for a sustainable tomorrow," recognizes the contributions of women around the world who are leading the charge in climate change adaptation, mitigation and response to build a more sustainable future, according to UN Women.

The event, focusing on biodiversity and climate change from a gender perspective, aims to share the best practices for gender-responsive climate change and environmental policies and programs, and to identify climate actions to advance gender equality.

At COP15 in Kunming and at COP26 in Glasgow last year, it was highlighted that the global challenges of biodiversity loss and climate change have become more severe and urgent, Mabel Miao, secretary-general of the Center for China and Globalization (CCG), said at the symposium.

"Women are 14 times more likely to die than men during a disaster, and account for around 80 percent of climate refugees globally. They make up 43 percent of the global agricultural workforce, playing a central role in biodiversity conservation and sustainable food and agricultural systems," said Smriti Aryal, country representative of UN Women China.

Women's livelihoods are exposed to climate, environment and disaster risks, as women constitute the majority of the world's poor, and face social, economic and political barriers that limit their coping capacity and access to resources and decision-making processes.

"When women are empowered to participate and lead meaningfully, it makes climate action more effective," said Aryal, who added that existing global evidence shows that women's participation leads to better outcomes in natural resource management and climate interventions at the local level.

Chinese women "have already held up half the sky" in combating climate change and achieving sustainable development at the national and local levels, Li Gao, director-general of the Climate Change Adaptation Department under the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, said in a speech via video.

"We will work with all stakeholders to further promote gender equality in addressing climate change, and encourage and support women to undertake key roles and contribute their wisdom and strength," he noted.

Swedish Ambassador to China Helena Sangeland said that Sweden has stepped up efforts to integrate the environmental and climate perspectives with the gender perspectives in the fields of oceans, biodiversity, food security, water, sanitation and hygiene.