PHA-Exch> Third Global Congress of Women in Politics and Governance, 19-22 October 2008 - Dusit Hotel, Makati, Philippines

[Claudio Schuftan]

.
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>



The Center for Asia-Pacific Women in Politics (CAPWIP) organizes regular
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