How can you beat climate change with only half the world’s population? Gender was among the main side-topics at the UN climate summit in Bonn. DW spoke to women who intend to be part of the solution to climate change.
“I’m the only woman here,” noted Celestine Ketcha Courtes, mayor of a small town in Cameroon, looking to her left and right on the podium at a press conference of mayors on local climate action at the UN climate talks. Although she is laughing, she means business.
Although the United Nations climate change secretariat (UNFCCC) is led by a woman for the second time in a row — current Executive Secretary Patricia Espinosa, who followed Christiana Figueres — women are still vastly absent from climate change decision-making. And largely ignored by climate policies.
Only one out of three delegates at the last two climate conferences were women, according to a recent paper from the UNFCCC.
To bolster the role of women in climate change action, delegates have adopted the first Gender Action Plan at the 23rd “conference of the parties,” which took place from November 6 to 17 in Bonn.
Women activists and researchers hailed adoption of the plan.
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Katharina Wecker 