Kathmandu, Nepal – A dynamic session on Gender and Intergenerational Equity at the ongoing Sagarmatha Sambaad highlighted the critical need for feminist climate action that places women, girls, youth, and Indigenous peoples at the center of solutions to the climate crisis.
Patricia Fernandez-Pacheco, UN Women’s Country Representative, emphasized the glaring underrepresentation of these groups in climate decision-making spaces, from grassroots initiatives to global platforms like COP negotiations. “Women, girls, and Indigenous peoples are leaders, knowledge holders, and agents of change. Yet, their voices often remain unheard,” Fernandez-Pacheco remarked during the session.
The discussion, facilitated by the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) and featuring insights from Bandanaa Rana, a member of the CEDAW Committee, and other experts, underscored that token inclusion in climate policies is insufficient. Instead, these policies must be firmly grounded in the four guiding principles of feminist climate action:
Recognition: Acknowledge and honor the leadership, knowledge, and contributions of women and Indigenous communities in addressing climate challenges.
Redistribution: Ensure equitable allocation of resources to develop care-centered and resilient systems that empower communities.
Representation: Provide women and girls with meaningful and influential roles in climate decision-making processes.
Reparations: Address the systemic injustices women face, including economic and non-economic losses such as unpaid care work, displacement, and gender-based violence.
Experts collectively stressed that climate justice cannot be achieved without addressing gender inequities and intergenerational impacts. They called for immediate policy transformations to create sustainable, inclusive, and equitable futures for all.
The Sagarmatha Sambaad, Nepal’s premier global dialogue on climate and development, continues to serve as a platform for forging innovative solutions to complex environmental challenges.
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