On 23 and 24 September, ESCWA convened in Cairo a regional workshop for the Subcommittee on Gender Equality and the Sustainable Development Goals, focused on the theme “Women, Peace and Security, and Climate Change in the Arab Region”.
Organized in partnership with UN Women, the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and in collaboration with the Cairo International Centre for Conflict Resolution, Peacekeeping and Peacebuilding (CCCPA), the workshop addressed a key policy gap in the Arab region, the limited coordination when developing strategies related to Women, Peace and Security national action plans, nationally determined contributions (NDCs), national adaptation plans and disaster risk reduction strategies.
In a video message, ESCWA Executive Secretary opened the meeting with a call for ministries and relevant entities across member States to coordinate when it comes to following policies that support women empowerment, namely those in areas affected by conflict and climate change, in order to help bridging the numerous gaps that still hinder the achievement of gender equality.
The meeting presented the latest regional evidence on the gendered impacts of climate change and conflict. It also contributed to strengthening the capacities of national women’s machineries and other stakeholders, including representatives from ministries of environment and civil society organizations, to address the gender–climate–conflict nexus and turn policy coherence into practical action.
