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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Dear Friends of the FTF,</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; color: black;"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; color: black;">After our successful
work in Cancun, we have decided to start a Gender and Climate
Change virtual task force (CCH vtf) among our group to
discuss issues related to women impact and participation in the
activities that are promoted on Climate Change (CC). </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; color: black;">GCAP had in the past
a Climate Change task force on which the FTF had two representatives.
However, as some of us remember, due to several reasons, among them that the
GCAP organizer left, the virtual task force stopped its work.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; color: black;">CC impact and activities
are not gender neutral, something that until now has very little understanding
among governments and several constituencies. Therefore, the Facilitation Team
of the FTF feels that is important to start a virtual task force to provide our
vision on CC impact on women. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: normal;"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">The idea is that
the FTF on CC meet virtually every four week to discuss among
others issues: </span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; color: black;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; color: black;">1. How to strategize and
lobby the country of the participants to make CC National
programs of Actions (NAPA) to include womens concerns;</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; color: black;">2. Develop
activities to support women in the adaptation and mitigation planned
activities; </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; color: black;">3. Organize actions to
highlight women's situation , especially in coordination with important
days such as 8 March, 15 October etc.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; color: black;">4. Strategize on how to
participate actively in the future COPs ( next 20011 in Durban) and
lobby, including but not limited to the tribunals on gender and climate change
and interfacing with the Steering Committee of the Communities Affected by
Climate Change.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; color: black;">These are only some
ideas and others are very much welcome.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; color: black;"> The FTF, together
with other organizations, participated in COP15 (Copenhagen) and
COP 16 ( Cancun) and because of the importance of the subject and the
need that gender is taken into consideration in the
Conventions and governments agenda, the FTF convenes to build up a
Climate Change virtual task force (CCH vtf).</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; color: black;">The task force will be
coordinate by myself and Andrea Solazzo, our CC intern. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: normal;"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">If you would like
to be part of this Task Force please let us know and send us an email so
we can start our first call as soon as possible.</span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; color: black;"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; color: black;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; color: black;">Just to brief you,
below you will find a short synopsis based on a summary by the Women's
Environment and Development Organization (WEDO) on behalf of the Global Gender
& Climate Alliance (GGCA) , on in the current situation<b> </b>of the
gender approach and the Gender Equality Language in the Cancun Agreements.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; color: black;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: normal;"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt; color: black;"> Gender is mentioned in the following sections of the
Cancun Agreements:</span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; color: black;"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: normal;"><b><span style="color: blue;">1. <i>Preamble</i></span></b><span style="color: black;"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: normal;"><i><span style="color: blue;">Noting </span></i><span style="color: blue;">recognizes that the adverse effects of climate change have a range
of direct and indirect implications for the effective enjoyment of human rights
and that the effects of climate change will be felt most acutely by those
segments of the population that are already vulnerable owing to geography, <b>gender</b>,
age, indigenous or minority status and disability;</span><span style="color: black;"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: normal;"><b><span style="color: blue;">2. A shared vision for
long--‐term cooperative action</span></b><span style="color: black;"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: normal;"><span style="color: blue;">7. <i>Recognizes </i>the
need to engage a broad range of stakeholders at global, regional, national and
local levels, be they government, including subnational and local government,
private business or civil society, including the youth and persons with
disability, and that <b>gender equality </b>and the <b>effective participation
of women </b>and indigenous peoples are important for effective action on all
aspects of climate change;</span><span style="color: black;"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: normal;"><span style="color: black;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: normal;"><b><span style="color: blue;">3. . Enhanced action on
Adaptation</span></b><span style="color: black;"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: normal;"><i><span style="color: blue;">12. Affirms </span></i><span style="color: blue;">that enhanced action on adaptation should be undertaken in
accordance with the Convention; follow a country--</span><span style="color: blue;">‐</span><span style="color: blue;">driven, <b>gender--‐sensitive</b>,
participatory and fully transparent approach, taking into consideration
vulnerable groups, communities and ecosystems; and be based on and guided by
the best available science, and as appropriate traditional knowledge; with a
view to integrating adaptation into relevant social, economic and environmental
policies and actions, where appropriate;</span><span style="color: black;"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: normal;"><b><span style="color: blue;">4. . Enhanced action on
Mitigation</span></b><span style="color: black;"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: normal;"><b><span style="color: blue;">C. Policy approaches and
positive incentives on issues relating to reducing emissions from deforestation
and forest degradation in developing countries; and the role of conservation,
sustainable management of forests and enhancement of forest carbon stocks in
developing countries</span></b><span style="color: black;"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: normal;"><span style="color: blue;">72. <i>Requests </i>developing
country Parties, when developing and implementing their national strategies or
action plan, to address, inter alia, drivers of deforestation and forest
degradation, land tenure issues, forest governance issues, <b>gender
considerations </b>and the safeguards identified in paragraph 2 of Annex 1 to
this decision, ensuring the full and effective participation of relevant
stakeholders, inter alia, indigenous peoples and local communities;</span><span style="color: black;"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: normal;"><b><span style="color: blue;">III. Enhanced action on
Mitigation</span></b><span style="color: black;"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: normal;"><b><span style="color: blue;">E. Economic and social
consequences of response measures</span></b><span style="color: black;"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: normal;"><i><span style="color: blue;">Affirming </span></i><span style="color: blue;">that responses to climate change should be coordinated with social
and economic development in an integrated manner, with a view to avoiding
adverse impacts on the latter, taking fully into account the legitimate
priority needs of developing country Parties for the achievement of sustained
economic growth and the eradication</span><span style="color: black;"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: normal;"><span style="color: blue;">of poverty, and the <b>consequences
for vulnerable groups, in particular women </b>and children,</span><span style="color: black;"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: normal;"><b><span style="color: blue;">5. . Finance, technology and
capacity--‐building</span></b><span style="color: black;"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: normal;"><b><span style="color: blue;">C. Capacity--‐building</span></b><span style="color: black;"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: normal;"><span style="color: blue;">130. <i>Decides </i>that
capacity--</span><span style="color: blue;">‐</span><span style="color: blue;">building
support to developing country Parties should be enhanced with a view to
strengthening endogenous capacities at the subnational, national or regional
levels, as appropriate, <b>taking into</b> <b>account gender aspects</b>, to
contribute to the achievement of the full, effective and sustained
implementation of the Convention, through, inter alia:</span><span style="color: black;"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: normal;"><b><span style="color: blue;">Annex IV</span></b><span style="color: blue;">. <b>Composition and mandate of the Technology Executive Committee</b></span><span style="color: black;"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: normal;"><span style="color: blue;">3. Parties are encouraged to
nominate senior experts with a view to achieving, within the membership of the
Technology Executive Committee, an appropriate balance of technical, legal,
policy, social development and financial expertise relevant to the development
and transfer of technology for adaptation and mitigation, taking into account
the <b>need to achieve gender balance in accordance with decision 36/CP.7</b>;</span><span style="color: black;"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: normal;"><span style="color: black;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; color: black;">Finally I would like to
mention that there are several specialized terms and acronyms that are used in
all the documents and that have been criticized because many people
get them confused ( even governments) during the discussions. The
same with a lot of concepts of which many are not familiar. Therefore during
our virtual discussions this will be clarified so all can better
understand these concepts and their different impacts on women and men .</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; color: black;">Best regards and hope
you join us!</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; color: black;">Marcela and Andrea</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; color: black;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; color: black;">Marcela Ballara, FTF
Alternate Coordinator and </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; color: black;">Gender and Climate
Change Facilitator</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; color: black;">Andrea Solazzo, Loretto
UN Office Volunteer and</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; color: black;">Gender and Climate
Change intern FTF</span></p>