General recommendation No.37 (2018) on gender-related dimensions of disaster risk reduction in a changing climate
Published
13 March 2018
UN symbol
CEDAW/C/GC/37
Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women
Summary
The objective of this general recommendation is to underscore the urgency of mitigating the adverse effects of climate change and to highlight the steps necessary to achieve gender equality, the realization of which will reinforce the resilience of individuals and communities globally in the context of climate change and disasters. It is also intended to contribute to coherence, accountability and the mutual reinforcement of international agendas on disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation, by focusing on the impacts of climate change and disasters on women’s human rights.
In this general recommendation, the Committee does not exhaustively cover the gender-related dimensions of climate change mitigation and adaptation measures, nor does it differentiate between disasters relating to climate change and other disasters. It should be emphasized, however, that a large proportion of contemporary disasters may be attributed to human-induced climatic changes and that the recommendations provided herein are also applicable to hazards, risks and disasters that are not directly linked to climate change.
In their reports submitted to the Committee pursuant to article 18, States parties should address general obligations to ensure substantive equality between women and men in all areas of life, as well as the specific guarantees in relation to those rights under the Convention that may be particularly affected by climate change and disasters, including extreme weather events such as floods and hurricanes, as well as slow-onset phenomena, such as the melting of polar ice caps and glaciers, drought and sea-level rise.
Version
Inputs received
The draft general recommendation on gender-related dimensions of disaster risk reduction in a changing climate can be found here.
States
- Argentina
- Australia
- Colombia
- Egypt
- Greece
- Guatemala
- Jordan
- Malta
- Mauritius
- Mexico
- Norway
- Peru
- Russian Federation
- Switzerland
- Trinidad and Tobago
NGOS
- ActionAid Australia
- Amnesty International
- ARROW
- Asia Pacific Forum on Women, Law and Development (APWLD)
- GI-ESCR, Landesa and APWLD joint submission
- Global Initiative for Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
- International Disability Alliance (IDA) joint submission
- International Women's Development Agency
- IWRAW Asia Pacific
- Plan International
- WaterLex
- Women Enabled International
- Women's Environment & Development Organization (WEDO)
Other stakeholders
- Dr. Gabrielle Simm and Dr. Sarah Williams
- Monash Gender, Peace and Security Research Centre
- Soroptimist International of the South West Pacific