[enviro-vlc] Third Global Congress of Women in Politics and Governance, October 19-22, 2008 - Manila, Philippines

[Vern Weitzel]

Subject: Third Global Congress of Women in Politics and Governance, October 
19-22, 2008 - Manila, Philippines
Date: Mon, 26 May 2008 18:47:57 +0800
From: Center for Asia Pacific Women in Politics (CAPWIP)

Dear Colleagues and Friends,

The Center for Asia-Pacific Women in Politics (CAPWIP) and the United Nations 
International Strategy for Disaster Risk Reduction (UN/ISDR) are pleased to 
invite you to the Third Global Congress of Women in Politics and Governance 
which will be held on October 19-22, 2008 at the Dusit Hotel, Makati City, Metro 
Manila, Philippines.  The theme of the congress is “Gender in  Climate Change 
and Disaster Risk Reduction.”

Women and environment experts have raised concern over the absence of women in 
the discourse and debate on climate change and disaster risk reduction, both of 
which are  global mainstream issues  that are currently impacting the entire 
world. The involvement of women in areas of environmental management and 
governance should not be perceived as an afterthought. Women's roles are of 
considerable importance in the promotion of environmental ethics.

The current imperative is for women to understand the phenomenon of climate 
change and disaster risk reduction and their impacts and implications at the 
individual, household, community and national levels. Studies show that women 
have a definite information deficit on climate politics,  climate protection, 
and preparedness through disaster risk reduction.  Only with this information 
can women take their proper, significant and strategic role in the issues of 
climate change and disaster risk reduction.

Invited to this congress are  parliamentarians, decision - makers in national 
governments, environment organizations, youth leaders and media practitioners, 
funding/donor agencies/organizations. (Female and male participants are welcome.)

The Congress will have the following objectives:

Overall Purpose: To provide a forum for legislators and decision-makers in 
national governments and leaders at all levels in formulating gender-responsive 
legislation and programs related to gender in climate change and disaster risk 
reduction.

Specific Objectives:

a) to understand the phenomenon of climate change, its impacts, and its 
implications and study the appropriate risk reduction strategy;

b) to review and examine the gender aspects in climate change and disaster risk 
reduction and formulate appropriate actions to address these;

c) to define the roles women can play in addressing the impacts of climate 
change and disaster risk reduction programs and policies  at the global, 
national and sub-national levels; and

d) to identify and define the action agenda for parliamentarians, policy 
advocates, and women leaders to support global and national actions to adapt 
gender responsive legislation and programs related to gender in climate change 
and disaster risk reduction.

Congress Proceedings:

The discussion on gender in climate and disaster risk reduction change will be 
organized around identifying the challenges to action as well as defining the 
appropriate responses to effectively address the impacts of climate change and 
disaster risk reduction. Inputs to the discussion will be collected and 
organized around: 1) geographic location and 2) types of actions: i.e. 
preparedness, risk reduction: building community resilience; adaptation; and 
mitigation. Cross cutting these discussions will be the identification of 
technologies in aid of responding to climate change and preparedness thru 
disaster risk reduction.

The focus of the discussions will revolve around defining and elaborating 
actions (i.e. preparedness, disaster risk reduction, adaptation, and mitigation) 
to cope with climate change and its impacts and preparedness and disaster risk 
reduction.

Preparedness and disaster risk reduction is about building individual and 
community capacities to position themselves and their communities so that the 
likelihood of climate change-induced disasters is reduced; the intensity or 
adverse impacts of disasters are cushioned and that inhabitants are able to 
respond promptly, expeditiously and effectively. Adaptation entails actions that 
moderate harm, or exploit benefits, of climate change.  Mitigation entails 
actions that minimizes or cushions the adverse impacts of climate change.

In all of these actions, special attention will be given to defining how women 
and gender could be mainstreamed. In other words, the Congress should define how 
women can be given the social space to participate, influence, and benefit from 
global and local responses to climate change.

The registration fee for the four day congress is One thousand five hundred 
fifty US Dollars (US$ 1,550.) per person for twin room sharing accommodations 
(two persons in one room) and one thousand nine hundred fifty US Dollars (US$ 
1,950.) per person for single room accommodations (one person in one room).

The training will be held on Oct 19-22, 2008. However, the participants will be 
requested to be in Manila the day before, October 18, 2008 and leave Manila only 
on October 23, 2008. The overnight hotel accommodation on October 18, 2008 is 
already included in the fee. Participants will be billeted in the Dusit Hotel, 
the venue of the congress and hotels near the Dusit Hotel, accessible within 
walking distance. Room accommodations in the Dusit Hotel, the venue of the 
Congress will be on a first come - first served basis.


Importance of the Congress

Today, on the average, one person out of nineteen in a developing country will 
be hit by a climate disaster, compared to 1 out of 1,500 in an OECD country. 
Climate change creates life time traps: in Niger, a child born during a drought 
is 72 percent more likely to be stunted than a child born during a normal season.

We hope that your organization can send participants to the Third Global 
Congress of Women in Politics and Governance. The Theme of “Gender in Climate 
Change and Disaster Risk Reduction” is the first time this will be discussed in 
a forum whose objective is to formulate gender responsive legislation and 
policies for national governments and parliaments.

We truly hope that the environment organizations will find this forum a good 
opportunity to advocate gender and climate change policies and programs through 
gender responsive legislation to the women parliamentarians, decision makers, 
the youth leaders, media and the funding agencies/organizations. Let us join 
hands in promoting gender responsive governance through transformative 
leadership and citizenship. We are looking forward to your participation.

Please download the full information sheet and registration form for this Third 
Global Congress of Women in Politics and Governance from our website, 
http://www.capwip.org/3rdglobalcongress.htm


Very truly yours,

(signed)
Jung-sook KIM (Ed.D.)
President
Center for Asia Pacific Women in Politics (CAPWIP)


Secretariat:
Center for Asia Pacific Women in Politics (CAPWIP)
YSTAPHIL Building, 4227-4229 Tomas Claudio Street
Parañaque City, Metro Manila, Philippines
Tel. (632) 8516934 (632) 8516954; Tele Fax: Mobile Phone +639184596603
E-mail: globalcongress2008 at gmail.com; globalcongress2008 at capwip.org 
<mailto:globalcongress2008 at gmail.com;%20globalcongress2008 at capwip.org>; 
capwip at capwip.org <mailto:capwip at capwip.org> Web: www.capwip.org 
<http://www.capwip.org/>; www.onlinewomeninpolitics.org 
<http://www.onlinewomeninpolitics.org/>



Download:        <http://www.capwip.org/3rdglobalcongress.htm>


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