Extraordinary meeting of SADC ministers responsible for gender and women’s affairs-Minister Shamlaye wants addendum to SADC protocol on gender and development |02 December 2011

He was accompanied by Conrad Mederic, principal counsellor of the Seychelles High Commission in Pretoria.

The meeting adopted the engendered SADC position paper on climate change which is to be presented to the conference of parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP17) to be held in Durban from November 20 to December 9, 2011.

This is a first step towards ensuring that policy considerations around climate change are engendered. Other issues highlighted in the position paper include the importance of capacity building, the transfer of technology, institutional arrangements, and regional cooperation and financing.

Members present agreed that women should be more involved in climate change initiatives; member states should collect and publish gender disaggregated data on climate change impacts as well as mitigation and adaptation at every level to guide further programming; and for states to mainstream gender perspectives into their national policies and other measures on sustainable development and climate change through carrying out systematic gender analysis and establishment of gender sensitive indicators and benchmarks and the development of practical tools to support increased attention to gender and climate change.

In the discussions, Minister Shamlaye called for more attention to be given to the situation of coastal regions and small island states and highlighted Seychelles’ position on climate change as a member of AOSIS (Association of Small Island States). 

The ministers noted that the SADC protocol on gender and development will soon enter into force and agreed to give their full support to the process at national level. 

Minister Shamlaye supported the intention to have an addendum to the SADC protocol on gender and development that will specifically cover climate change and sustainable development; and underlined the opportunity that the introduction of renewable energy technologies in developing countries provides for increasing involvement of women and girls in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (Stem) subjects.

Studies have shown that women form 75% of all environmental refugees in the region and that more than 85% of people who die in climate-induced natural disasters are women.