Today 08 April, the UNDP and the Ministry of Environment have facilitated a consultation designed for women and elderlies ahead of the Stockholm+50 event scheduled for June 2022. This session was organised with the collaboration of the Ministry of Social Integration and the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family Welfare.
During the consultations, participants mentioned the impacts of climate change and the issues caused by Covid-19 before stressing the necessity to reconnect with nature to ensure a healthy planet and a prosperous future for all. The insights collected during today's consultation will be included in a report to be submitted to the Stockholm +50 Global Event.
Some of the key comments made at this session, with Women and Elderlies as main stakeholders:
1. Promote and provide incentives (regarding land, financing, water availability) for agriculture and food production in general, but specifically for bio-farming, organic farming and natural / herbal / Ayurvedic medicines, to offer women new avenues for employment. In parallel, need research to increase knowledge in this field to identify how to exploit unutilized lands for such purposes.
2. A major challenge is the lack of empowerment of women that is observed in less developed and developing countries, despite the existing regulatory framework. Additionally, the lack of access to financial resources, aggravated by rising inflation, represent major handicaps for women to take care of their home and children or engage in self-employment.
3. Regarding partnerships from UN and beyond, we need a stronger network of NGOs and community-based organizations, a strong monitoring and evaluation framework to ensure that recommendations are implemented and that resources allocated are used judiciously and a decentralization of activities.
4. Senior citizens associations should be recognised and respected in the fight against the climate crisis and perception that marginalise their role due to age should be dispelled. Two third of the world's older people live in low- and middle-income countries, where there is higher risk of climate-related disasters (such as flash floods, cyclones, soli erosion) that often impact disproportionately the older people.
5. IT literacy should be provided to everyone, so as to make communication global and more effective.
6. Request made for new infrastructures such as bike paths and pedestrian pathways, that will be safe to use and also benefit our health as well as the environment. Safety and overall security against thefts and violence are major concerns for both women and the elderlies.
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