Excellencies,
Distinguished delegates,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
It is an honor to join you all for the commemoration of International Women¡¯s Day.
I thank Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Women for organizing today¡¯s event.
The theme of this year¡¯s International Women¡¯s Day, gender equality today for a sustainable tomorrow, aims to highlight the pivotal contributions of women and girls in tackling climate change, in strengthening disaster risk reduction, and in building more resilient, more sustainable societies.
Across societies the impacts of climate change affect women and men differently.
Women are often responsible for gathering and producing food, collecting water and sourcing fuel for heating and cooking.
Droughts, floods, and heat waves intensified by climate change mean these tasks are becoming more difficult and time consuming, leaving women less time to pursue their education or other sources of income, and impacting their health.
Female farmers are responsible for 45 to 80 percent of food production in developing countries, but in half the countries of the world, they are denied land rights.
They are also often prevented from borrowing money, which could enable them to access skills training, fertilizer, better seeds, and the tools that would help increase their crop yields.?
As farming lands become barren, or water shortages increase, women and girls take on increased tasks and risk. This affects their ability to pursue sustainable development objectives, affecting their health, education, and jobs and livelihoods, amongst so many other areas.
Excellencies,
The economic stress caused by climate impacts can also mean less money for medication and for pregnant women to get the care they need.
Moreover, in natural disasters, more women than men die because they have less savings or property to deal with the impacts and must shelter in unsafe places. Lack of assets and restrictions on their human rights may also prevent them from moving to safer locations.
Despite women being disproportionately affected by climate change, they play a crucial role in climate change adaptation and mitigation.
Women have the knowledge and understanding of what is needed to adapt to changing environmental conditions and to come up with practical solutions. But they are still a largely untapped resource.
Restricted land rights, lack of access to financial resources, training and technology, and limited access to political decision-making spheres often prevent them from playing a full role in tackling climate change and other environmental challenges.
Clearly, more must be done to support women facing the impacts of climate or disaster risk.
Excellencies,
Despite the gendered impacts of climate and disasters, women and girls continue to be leaders in each of these areas, and in broader sustainable development efforts.
They are scientists, educators, advocates, influencers, researchers, frontline workers, decision-makers at home and at all levels of government, and in the private sector. They are setting and shaping the sustainable development discourse.
While we acknowledge their contribution in these fields, we must also realize that women remain under-represented, under-supported, and unrecognized in the social, economic, and political fields needed for sustainable recovery.
Excellencies,
We have adopted development frameworks to guide sustainable efforts, including the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Goals, the Paris Agreement, and the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction.
Gender equality is a prerequisite in the realization of each of these goals.
Gender equality, and therefore the empowerment of women and girls, is a sustainable solution.
We must strengthen mechanisms that provide pathways and support for ingenuity, ambition, and creativity, from all people who have the skill and the drive. And we must remove the barriers that prevent women from engaging.
As a gender champion, mainstreaming gender equality remains the underlying tenet of my ¡®Presidency of Hope¡¯ ¨C be it on vaccines, climate action, human rights, or revitalization of the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ.
It is a commitment that secures the engagement of women and girls at every given opportunity.
It is a commitment to listen and learn, to hear the lived experiences of women and girls.
I will continue to listen to their concerns and views, to better understand the gaps and lessons, and to understand where we need to accelerate action.
It is my hope that you can all join me on this course of action towards a sustainable future for all.
I thank you.