Trade & Society
Worldwide appeal launched during Women’s Forum Global Meeting 14-16 October 2015 in Deauville, France
Paris, 12 October 2015– The Women’s Forum for the Economy & Society, the leading platform for women and men of influence to come together to build the future, is launching its annual Global Meeting in Deauville, France, with a call to acknowledge women’s vulnerability to climate change as well asthe essential role women play in developing and implementing solutions.
The Women’s Forum Global Meeting, whose theme is Energizing the World!, will open Wednesday, 14 October, with a discussion between Laurence Tubiana, Special Representative of the French government to the 2015 United Nations Climate Conference (COP21), and Mauritian biologist Ameenah Gurib-Fakim, newly elected president of Mauritius. Julia Marton-Lefèvre, chair of the Sustainable Biomass Partnership advisory board, will moderate the session.
More than 1200 participants at the Global Meeting will be joined by members of the Women’s Forum Global Community “from all sectors and geographies” in signing a pledge urging governments to make “a binding commitment to keep global warming under 2° Celsius – the threshold for preventing the ‘severe, pervasive and irreversible’ impacts of climate change. This pledge will be displayed at Paris-Le Bourget, the site where the COP21 climate talks are happening from 30 November to 11 December 2015.
Full text of the declaration by the Women’s Forum Global Community:
To all governments participating in the 2015 United Nations Climate Conference (COP21) in Paris:
We, the members of the Women's Forum Global Community, representing women from all sectors and geographies, pledge our strong support for the adoption of an ambitious, dynamic and universal agreement in Paris at COP21 and we urge the governments of the world to make a binding commitment to keep global warming under 2° Celsius – the threshold for preventing the “severe, pervasive and irreversible” impacts of climate change. We affirm that women are particularly vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change, as women constitute the majority of the world’s poor and are more dependent for their livelihood on natural resources. We also acknowledge that women are essential agents of change who possess crucial knowledge and expertise that can be used in mitigating the effects of climate change, in disaster prevention and reduction, and in developing strategies for adaptation to the adverse effects of climate change. For these reasons we urge governments to incorporate gender perspectives into their national policies, action plans and other measures on sustainable development and climate change and to enhance women participation in decision-making.
Press Contacts
International: Randall Koral, randall.koral@womens-forum.com, T: +33 6 95 99 58 1
France: Elie Levaï, elie.levai@womens-forum.com, T: +33 1 58 18 62 04
Americas: Jean-Christian Agid, jean-christian.agid@womens-forum.com, T: +1 917 349 8361
About the Women’s Forum for the Economy & Society
Since 2005 the Women's Forum for the Economy & Society has been the world's leading platform featuring women's views and voices on major social and economic issues. Deploying the experience of both women and men – business leaders, researchers, politicians, entrepreneurs... – across all generations and geographies, our conferences feature broad, rich and edgy debates, acting as a sounding board for today’s important ideas and a springboard for tomorrow’s solutions. The practical discussions in our Discovery sessions typically focus not only on overcoming barriers but on creating new opportunities. The Women's Forum also promotes the advancement of women through regional and international networks.
20 Oct 2015