Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and her Commission political centrepiece, the European Green Deal, made a carbon-neutral economy that works for people a declared objective. At the same time, there is a confirmed commitment to a “Union of equality”, most notably enshrined in the European Gender Equality Strategy. However, the connection between these two objectives is not made explicit: the European Green Deal, is gender blind. It does not refer to gender equality or broader equality issues (beyond a narrowly defined just transition mainly targeted at coal areas). The significance of the nexus between gender equality on the one side and environment and climate action on the other side is not a secret and has been demonstrated for many years. For example, gendered differences in income, job opportunities, mobility, experience, knowledge, and lifestyle – but also in values around sustainability – have an impact on individuals’ environmental footprints. Policies aiming at reducing our environmental impact can only be successful if they take such differences into account. Based on this analysis, Women Engage for a Common Future (WECF) and the European Environmental Bureau (EEB) decided to map the gaps and opportunities of the European Green Deal and to propose recommendations to move forward. We also want to raise awareness in the eNGO community in Europe on the importance of linking gender and environment in EU policies, and this webinar is one of a series, to do so.
The objectives of this webinar are to :
- Raise awareness on the links between gender and environment in EU policies
- Present eNGOs work on the topic
- Discuss the interests and reservations from eNGOs to work on gender and environment in the EU
Agenda
10:00-10:05 Welcome and moderation Patrizia Heidegger, Director of Global Policies and Sustainability, EEB
10:05-10:15 Gender and environment: what do they have to do with one and another? Anke Stock, Senior Gender Expert, WECF
10:15-10:25 Overview of interests and activities from CSOs in the EU on the topic Nadège Lharaig, Senior Policy Officer & Gender Expert, EEB
10:25-10:45 10:25-10:45 10:25-10:45 Presentation of initiatives from eNGOs working on gender and environment:
Ecofeminist Commission, Sara Lopez Garcia, Ecologistas en Accion
Ecofeminist scorecard, Rose Heffernan, WECF
10:45-11:00 Q&A and discussion
This webinar is destined to Environmental NGOs from the EU and neighboring countries that wish to understand better the links between gender and environment in EU policymaking.
