UNFCCC Bali,
Submission to the Plenary
14 December 2007

Mr. President, dear delegates,

I speak on behalf of the gender and climate change network and women who have met here in Bali over the last two weeks. We urge you, our governments, to ensure drastic emission cuts at source. You have the power to do this here and now. People threatened by climate change cannot wait.

We would like to express our grave concern at the marginalization of women’s views, voices and rights during this conference and the future climate change regime. We are here to help governments to recognize the vital urgency of gender equality in their policies and program at the growing climate crisis.

Women all over the world are strongly rejecting nuclear energy use. Thus we are very concerned about Japan’s proposal to make nuclear energy eligible for the Clean Development Mechanism. This is a bad signal to the world. Nuclear power carries inherent injustice to the land of indigenous peoples and local communities on whose territories the uranium is mined. Trying to combat climate change with one of the most hazardous technologies will neither save the planet nor us.

We ask you to ensure that adaptation and mitigation strategies uphold basic human security and the right to sustainable development, and do not exacerbate the injustice, inequalities and inequities between women and men.

Women have a strong body of traditional knowledge that can be used in climate change mitigation, disaster reduction and adaptation. Proper acknowledgement, protection and financial support should be available to sustain this knowledge. Technologies should be properly adapted where desirable to women’s needs. We are strongly convinced that there are other ways than market-based approaches to stop the process of climate change.

We demand the acknowledgement of the contribution of women to forest conservation. Women should be included in any forest protection mechanism, measures and compensation schemes. Carbon trading, large hydro-projects and expansion of agro-fuels are not the solution for climate change but rather increase deforestation.

Other solutions, which address the root causes and the complexity of the problems, need to be developed.

We look forward to a climate regime that is gender sensitive, respects nature as well as human rights.