The Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) is currently elaborating a General Recommendation on Gender-Related Dimensions of Disaster Risk Reduction in a Changing Climate. On the invitation of the committee, APWLD  submitted key inputs on  women’s human rights and the need for urgent action to combat climate change.

 I.  APWLD SUBMISSION

 APWLD calls for the reaffirmation of states’ legal obligation to women’s human rights in the scope of climate change, as guaranteed in CEDAW, and urges the Committee to address all forms of climate related policies.

This submission reiterates that the Committee cannot address the impacts of climate change without looking at the structural causes, and recommends that the Committee provide guidelines for states to address the drivers to climate change. APWLD also suggests that the Committee revisit the concept of “just transitions” to challenge the gendered division of labor, reaffirm states’ legal obligation to decrease their greenhouse gas emissions, include references to the specific vulnerability of women in the face of climate change, and further develop the links between climate change and conflict. Finally, APWLD calls on the Committee to revisit language used in reference to women’s rights, namely regarding funds allocated to women’s democratic movements, human rights violations occurring as a direct result of climate change, and the role of duty bearers and rights holders.

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 II.   APWLD, GI-ESCR AND LANDESA JOINT SUBMISSION

APWLD, G-ESCR and Landesa propose that there needs to be much strong language referencing the obligation States’ have to reduce their Green House Gas (GHG) emissions. The shift in focus away from GHG emissions and towards Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) in CEDAW is a missed opportunity, and the Committee’s recommendations are not enough to improve or safeguard the lives of women.

The submission encourages the Committee to affirm the need for urgent action to combat climate change, reduce GHG emissions, and minimize its disruptions. In order to reflect these concerns, the submission provides changes to the Committee’s recommendations in the Objection and Scope and the Women’s Land Rights in the Context of Climate Change and DRR sections. 

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