A COP23 SIDE EVENT
Background
Today, nearly a third of the world’s population lacks secure rights to the land and forests they customarily claim. This insecurity undermines global progress toward achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and the climate change commitments of the Paris Agreement.
Securing land tenure rights for all is a key element to enhance resilience to the impacts of climate change, and effective land use and control can minimize the spread of hazard-prone land, which is essential to ensure security and sustainability for men and women of diverse economic, social and cultural backgrounds.
The Paris Climate Agreement necessitates attention to vital links between climate change and women’s land rights. Climate change impacts women because of their disproportionate reliance on land-based resources, as well as the relative insecurity of their rights to these resources. On the flip side of the coin, however, the recognition of women’s rights to land and natural resources can be an effective tactic to address climate change. Accounting for women’s land rights–including the rights of indigenous and rural women who rely on community-based tenure systems–in designing and implementing responses to climate change has the potential to enhance the security of women?s land rights while improving socioeconomic outcomes of climate-change responses, and amplify the effectiveness of climate smart interventions.
Objectives
- Raise awareness and discuss the possibilities of harmonizing women’s land rights efforts with recently-adopted instruments addressing climate change.
- Create a platform for sharing approaches and strategies, and illustrating specific actions that highlight existing or intended impacts to achieve progress on the implementation of SDGs and Paris Accord commitments vis-a-vis women’s land rights as a tool to mitigate and adapt to climate change impacts.
Moderator:
Katia Araujo, Director of Advocacy – Landesa
Speakers:
UN Women Representative
Beth Roberts, Attorney and Land Specialist (Gender) – Landesa
Alain Freschette, Director of Strategic Analysis and Global Engagement Program and Rights and Climate – Rights and Resources Initiative
Claudia Ringler, Deputy Director, Environment and Production Technology Division – IFPRI
Organizing partners
UN Women
Landesa
Rights and Resources Initiative
International Land Coalition
Espaço Feminista
International Food Policy Research Institute
Date: November 7, 2017
Time: 11:30-13:00
Where: Meeting Room 07 (150)
Format: Moderated interactive roundtable