Launch of the Post-COP Gender Watch International Network

Ms. Bano addressing the meeting at the launch of G-WIN

On the 17^th of November, Gender Concerns International held an event at COP 22 to launch the Post-COP Gender Watch International Network (G-WIN) initiative. The G-WIN initiative promotes an approach that offers a multi-stakeholder platform for Women’s and Civil Society Organisations to audit agreements and declarations adopted at COP, monitor the implementation of Nationally Determined Contributions, and promote new gender-sensitive environmental initiatives. The G-WIN initiative is much needed as women are still underrepresented at climate negotiations, while disproportionally affected by climate change due to gender roles and gender inequalities. Female leadership is key to ensure gender-sensitive environmental policy-making and implementation.

At the event, several experts spoke on important issues relating to the theme of gender and the environment. Ms. Khadija Assari, Gender Expert at the Belgian Development Cooperation Agency in Morocco discussed the challenges to gender-sensitive environmental policy-implementation. This was followed by Ms. Fawzia Talout Meknassi, Directeur Associé at PRESMA, Ms. Murielle Mrabit from Women’s Entrepreneurship for Africa (WEAct for Africa), and Ms. Rishika Roy, Senior Programme Officer Resilience and Humanitarian Response at BBC Media Action, who spoke on gender-sensitive environmental policy-influencing.

Finally, the G-WIN initiative was presented by Ms. Sabra Bano, Director of Gender Concerns International, highlighting the linkages between gender, climate change and environmental policy implementation challenges emphasizing the need to have an international multi-stakeholder platform to observe the progress on agreed COP conclusions and pledges in place. The event was concluded with an interactive discussion led by Mr. Benjamin Tida, Chief Coordinator of Gender Concerns International. Participants congratulated Gender Concerns International on the initiative expressing their support to extend the scope of the Network internationally.

For more information on the initiative and context please see the leaflet attached as a pdf. If you have any questions about G-WIN, or if you as a female leader and/or Women’s Organisation wish to sign up to the network, please write to the G-WIN secretariat based in The Hague at gwin@genderconcerns.org.