24 March 2022 | 12:30pm-2:00pm EST Women’s Intercultural Network joined with  Global Partnership for the Prevention of Armed Conflict (GPPAC), UN Women, Shifting the Power Coalition, and the Australian Mission to co-sponsor A virtual informal discussion on how some of the key recommendations of CSW 66 can be operationalized in practice through existing platforms (i.e., the UNSC and UN Climate and Security Mechanism, the Women, Peace and Security and Humanitarian Action Compact (WPS-HA Compact, etc.) 

The conversation was Moderated by Sharon Bhagwan Rolls, GPPAC Pacific Regional Representative & Regional Director – Shifting the Power Coalition and began with Marina Kumskova, GPPAC Senior UN Policy and Advocacy Advisor sharing an overview and key takeaways from the CSW66 Agreed Conclusions.

Given the backdrop of UN Security Council Resolution 2242 (S/RES/2242) recognizing the impacts of climate change and the global nature of health pandemics on the trajectory of conflict, and given the inaugural meeting of the Informal Expert Group on Climate and Security in November 2020, which was followed in February 2021, by the UNSC convening for a high-level open debate on climate and security,  governments and civil society recognize the linkage between climate vulnerability and conflict fragility. 

In this discussion, global peacebuilding and development experts shared the key takeaways from the CSW discussions and the ways the key commitments can inform peacebuilding and development action. This discussion continued building on the ongoing progress in the development of global policy and finance supporting climate security action, including from an intersectional feminist perspective. References were made to important lessons learned from local peacebuilding networks – through their various entry points – who have been able to consolidate knowledge and expertise on climate and security and systematize information exchange through institutionalized channels of multi-stakeholder action. Noted was UNDP report “What Infrastructures for Peace support Peacebuilding in the context of Fragility and Crisis”.

Speakers included:

Christine Clarke, Ambassador for Women and Girls, the representative of Australia 

Kyra Luchtenberg, Peace and Security Analyst, Peace, Security and Humanitarian Section at UN Women

Carolyn Kitione, Shifting the Power Coalition Learning Coordinator 

Olha Zaiarna, GPPAC Regional Representative for Eastern Europe, Ukraine 

Marion Akiteng, Gender Focal Person at Centre For Conflict Resolution (CECORE), Uganda

Catherine Wong, Policy Specialist – Climate and Security Risk, Crisis Bureau UNDP  

Ms. Hayley Keen, Australia’s Mission to the United Nations

15 December 2021

E/CN.6/2022/NGO/144
Agenda 2030 puts gender equality at the core of sustainable and inclusive
development. Realizing gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls
will make a crucial contribution to progress across all the Goals and targets. The
achievement of full human potential and of sustainable development is not possible
if one half of humanity continues to be denied its full human rights and opportunities.
(UNFPA) Gender must be mainstreamed. Sustainable Development Goal 5
recognized gender equality as a fundamental right in itself, and instrumentally
valuable as a necessary foundation for a peaceful, prosperous and sustainable world.
Despite this recognition, equality remains elusive.
The brunt of the dual crises of the COVID-19 global pandemic and the economic
“she-cession” has been shouldered by women, with effects exacerbated along existing
racial, social, and economic lines. These crises intersect with the climate crises to
create a trifecta of vulnerability for the most marginalized. It’s the world’s poorest
and those in vulnerable situations, especially women and girls, who bear the brunt of
environmental, economic, and social impacts. Women and girls face greater health and
safety risks, as water and sanitation systems become compromised and in situations
of scarcity, they take on increased domestic and care work.
Through their experiences as early adopters of holistic and regenerative
agricultural techniques, first responders in crises, entrepreneurs of green energy, and
decision-makers at home, women offer valuable insights and solutions into better
managing the climate’s changes and its risks. Despite this, their collective and
individual lived experience and leadership are often overlooked and undervalued.
Building a sustainable future entails harnessing the knowledge, skills, and leadership
of women in climate action. Because women sit precariously at the intersection of
many daunting social problems including poverty, climate change, and violence, it is
critical that they be safe and empowered to reach their full potential. Gender mainstreaming will accelerate progress across all SDG’s. It’s no wonder then that
women’s leadership is explicitly called for in the preamble to the Paris Accord.
Achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls in the
context of climate change, environmental and disaster risk reduction policies and
programs is an urgent multilateral and multi-stakeholder endeavor.
UN Women has identified important priorities:

1. Enhancing understanding and expertise by all stakeholders on gender
   mainstreaming and the integration of a gender perspective in the thematic areas under
   the Convention, Kyoto Protocol, and the Paris Accord.
2. Enhancing disaggregate data collection and knowledge of the application
   of gender-responsive tools and methodologies to realize gender-responsive
   implementation of decisions.
   Women’s Intercultural Network proposes the following recommendations:
3. Member states must honor existing climate commitments and implement
   new strategies and policies to enhance results, including stronger engagement with
   the private sector, indigenous peoples, and civil society, with an increased focus on
   gender equality.
4. Mitigation and adaptation strategies must center a Climate Justice Human
   Rights framework to ensure policies, programs, and initiatives are equitable for
   women and girls, and all marginalized groups. The climate crisis is a transformational
   moment in history that holds the opportunity to transform not only the energy sector,
   but discriminatory structures of governance, and unsustainable economic models.
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   Integrated sustainable projects and programs that advance social, economic and
   environmental solutions must be prioritized.
5. The creation of a UN Special Rapporteur on human rights and climate
   change is needed to increase accountability for women’s and human rights abuses
   linked to climate change and to guide governments on addressing climate change from
   a human rights perspective.
6. Climate Change Education must become a mandatory curriculum at all
   levels, including the development and implementation of educational and public
   awareness programs on climate change and its gendered effects. Curricular guidelines
   provide a solid framework for facilitating and financing the development,
   implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of gender-inclusive Climate Change
   Education. (S. Aibe, K. Gross 2021)
7. Girls’ participation in local, national, and international climate fora by
   creating guidelines for youth engagement in climate decision-making processes.
   Publicize the critical and intersectional roles that women and girls play in accelerating
   climate adaptation and resilience activities in families and communities, and the
   expertise they bring from their daily lives. (S. Aibe, K. Gross 2021)
8. Climate solutions must center on both indigenous and women’s leadership.
   Their role in decision-making, protection, and management of resources is crucial.
   Women and girls face a disproportionate risk of food scarcity, water availability,
   violence and climate, and conflict-induced migration. Policies must be informed by,
   and responsive to, their needs. Indigenous communities steward 80 percent of the
   world’s biodiversity. Conservation initiatives and the protection of carbon sinks are
   vital to mitigate climate change and avert its worst effects. Ample evidence shows
   protecting forest-dependent communities, the rights of Indigenous peoples’ tenure,
   ensuring women’s participation in local forest governance delivers major benefits for
   the climate. Furthermore, in cases where women have been fully involved in local forest
   governance that delivers both livelihood and conservation benefits, forest
   regeneration and canopy growth improved. (Human Rights Watch)
9. Best practices in just climate-responsive legislations and strategies should
   be replicated.
   a. Illinois offers a prime example of transformative legislation at the state
   level. The groundbreaking Climate and Equitable Jobs Act is legislation that
   will bring lessons learned to states across the country that are poised to make an
   equitable transition from fossil fuels to clean energy. The Climate and Equitable
   Jobs Act marks one of the nation’s greatest advancements in climate justice and
   workforce transition, creating integrated solutions that advance equity and
   climate objectives.
   b. Women’s Intercultural Network encourages states, non-governmental and
   the public and private sectors to fund and apply the gender-focused evaluation,
   practices, and metrics outlined in CEDAW to bring this global framework to
   local communities to advance women and girls’ equity and accelerate progress
   across all SDG’s. The sustainable cities initiative of UN-Habitat and the work
   to realize SDG 11 have spurred policies, programs, partnerships, and initiatives
   to address local risk and resiliency. Gender mainstreaming is imperative to
   ensure this work is inclusive, equitable, effective, and sustainable. Women’s
   Intercultural Network has been connecting CEDAW to local action. Since its
   launch in 2014, the Cities for CEDAW Campaign has identified vital links
   between human rights, gender equity, and local public policy. As Resolutions
   and Ordinances have taken shape in numerous localities across the United
   States, it is clear that advocates, both men, and women, see their communities as
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   responsive, organic, and committed to the well-being and empowerment of
   women and girls and families. To date, under the aegis of Women’s Intercultural
   Network and partners, 10 cities have enacted ordinances that incorporate anti-discrimination human rights standards and strategies into local governance,
   modeled by the language of the UN CEDAW Treaty.
   These ordinances demonstrate the growing consensus that CEDAW is a roadmap
   to gender equity, inclusion, and sustainability at the grassroots level. In addition to
   US municipal ordinances, there are currently 10 county governmental bodies that
   have adopted the CEDAW model to identify inequities. The Cities for CEDAW
   Campaign mandates a Gender Analysis to study and address discriminatory policies
   and practices. These analyses provide localized disaggregate data points on
   employment, social services, access, and participation. The resulting data informs
   strategic plans and policy decisions. Adopting a local CEDAW framework provides
   oversight and creates the measurement mechanisms essential to track progress.
   Oversight bodies like Gender Equity Commissions and Task Forces have been
   instrumental in addressing equitable inclusive decision-making, pay equity, work-related imbalances, safety, and violence against women.
   Climate risk is a vulnerability multiplier. Because CEDAW cities are more
   equitable, they are inherently more resilient. Closing the gender gap builds individual
   and community resilience.
   The CEDAW framework is instrumental in advancing the BPfA. It provides
   local governments, in partnership with civil society organizations and the private
   sector, the tools to build a sustainable infrastructure for gender equality. CEDAW
   establishes that climate justice and sexual and reproductive health rights are
   interlinked in the human rights and empowerment framework.
10. Climate Investments must match the scale and urgency of the problem.
    Prioritizing women in clean energy investments, access to capital, job training, hiring,
    ownership, and new business creation is important in closing the gender gap and a
    necessary step to “building back better.” These mitigation investments must include
    retrofitting buildings to increase energy efficiency; adopting renewable energy
    sources like solar, wind; helping cities develop more sustainable transport: bus rapid
    transit, electric vehicles, and promoting more sustainable uses of land and forests.
    Programs and policies that protect Coastal Wetlands, promote Agroforestry and
    regenerative farming, decentralize clean energy distribution, and fund integrated
    solutions that address adaptation and mitigation will promote resiliency.

Gail James, Chair of Women’s Intercultural Network CEDAW Committee

The Cities for CEDAW Campaign is pleased that there are 10+ Ordinances in cities across the country.  There are 36+ cities with Resolutions.  This indicates that ordinance are less “easy” to enact in our cities.  Let’s review the reasons and offer some perspective:

1. Resolution as Statement of Support; it is a Philosophical Commitment to an Idea or Concept. It is not a legal document or mechanism.
2. Many cities begin here. Important 1st step to set foundation; not legally binding, yet sends message, and communicates relevance of CEDAW and human rights for women and girls.
3. Path to Resolution works best when coalition-building has developed ground-up interest and support. Presentations, discussions, workshops on elements of C4C and request for city action will develop necessary relationships among relevant organizations, public officials and other allies.
4. Once Resolution is crafted and approved, public messaging is advisable to signal to the community that public officials support human rights and action to address discrimination against women and girls. Press release, press conference, organizational newsletters and/or social media dissemination promotes the message of energy and commitment. Stage is set for next phase!
5. Most difficult path: getting to an Ordinance. One city official has been quoted: “we’ve done enough for women.”  BUT many other municipalities have found it works well to solidify relationships with council members, department heads and agency allies, leading to on-going discussions about the Ordinance sought.  
6. Don’t forget: while C4C website resources provide toolkits, templates and examples of cities’ experiences, there is NO ONE WAY to develop an ordinance. It must fit the city, the issues, and the officials who will support and vote for it.
7. Sometimes, a city might find immediate support and approval. Others experience delays, questions and challenges that take time, even years.
8. In my experience, in Kansas City, we have endured through 3 City Councils and 2 Mayors. Since a Resolution in 2015, our Women’s Equality Coalition has been actively pursuing an Ordinance.  We are now close: we expect an Ordinance in 2021.

Here is a primer for such a situation:  

• Persist! Be assertive!  Fearless, if you can!  If you can’t, recruit colleagues who can.  It will make the difference.
• Make calls to Mayor’s office, Chief of Staff, City Manager; ask for meeting. Bring 1 or several allies, especially those with clout: Foundation CEO, employment administrator; university personnel, board members of UNA or officers of your coalition organizations; include constituents.  Continue to stay in contact with city officials, including their assistants; don’t let them forget your name or your purpose.
• Share materials; prepare a brief powerpoint or download documents from C4C website: what it is, why it is needed, what you are asking for. Resources available: fact sheets, city press releases, official videos of mayors in support.
• Do homework and research; for example, you can find out how much city has had to pay out for discrimination cases.  This is a powerful datum to remind city officials that discrimination costs and anti-discrimination measures are worth it.
• Then, set up next round of meetings with City Council members, through their staff. Start with your own council member.  Be brief, clear and focused.   Message: There is discrimination that all women and girls encounter; here is a policy tool to address and rectify.   Give examples. Call attention to other like-sized cities who have moved down this path.
• We have asked them to green light our request.  BUT: When red light is flashing, go lateral.   This may not be a direct path. Don’t count on any one office or official to move.   Set meetings with as many officials as you can. Recruit organizational partners to join; train them via workshops to know more about C4C and how to address issues.  Keep working over the months; it is often a long journey.
• Don’t forget allies: Human Rights Commission, Human Resources Dept., racial and ethnic organizations, economic development agencies, labor and Women-owned business networks, university departments, researchers, LGBTQ+ groups, Gender-based Violence networks. These affinity groups must be included in outcomes, so including them early on will bear fruit and create the solidarity that you will require.
• Take a look at prior Ordinances. There are relevant policies, charters, or codes on the books that can be used as a basis for amendment to current needs.  This might allow Council members to support proposal more easily.
• Meanwhile, celebrate local women of achievement, esp. in city departments, boards, commissions and local agencies.  This reminds everyone that we are watching. 
• If barriers and time are in the way, go lateral even further.   Identify some particular element of discrimination and work on that:  e.g. Salary History, Evictions, Assault and Violence data.  Maybe Council will approve minimum wage increase, or address housing/homeless issue.  Publicize these as successes of anti-discrimination and support for women and girls.
• Meanwhile, be working with HR, asking about employment data, leading you to discuss the Gender Analysis that will be included in the Ordinance language.
• Review with coalition members how you want the follow-through to be: A Commission of Council-appointed members, or a Task Force of coalition appointed members?  How will the language read for evaluation and enforcement of the work?  How will the budget be allocated?   Is Legal on board?  What entity will oversee the data and research essential to make an Ordinance effective and evolving?  How will implementation work and be enforced?
• In conservative localities, pay attention to the red flags of words and concepts: the UN, international treaties, human rights, abortion, women’s health, sexual and racial discrimination language, CEDAW itself.  Be strong, but be clear on signals.  Officials may not want to hear about “blue” San Francisco or New York examples, but might relate to the work in Cincinnati, Louisville or Bozeman.   
• Most importantly: how will you and your coalition members be involved in the enforcement mechanism?   This is crucial, since we do not want empty policy voids.  We want effective, meaningful public policy, and while it aspires to the ideal, it must adhere to the legal and political realities of your city.   
• Ordinance approval: celebrate, publicize, tell public about short and long-term goals; keep coalition alive by action plans and outcomes assessment information in social media, press releases, etc.
• Remember Light and Heat; Teeth and Claws: You are bringing light to shadowy areas of discrimination, as well as heat to stir up Council action.  As Cities for CEDAW mentor, Krishanti Dharmaraj, points out: Ordinances must have teeth to be effective and claws to make a difference against barriers. It has to be Real and Vital to Support the Lives and Well-Being of Women and Girls.

Onward!  Keep Going!  You are on the Right Side of History!

The content of this post was presented to C4C Quarterly Meeting, September 25, 2021

Mary Ann Buggs is an enrolled member of the Caddo Nation and also of Cheyenne-Arapaho descent.

Mary Ann attended Seattle University and San Jose State University majoring in Business Administration/Marketing with a minor in Journalism. Her professional career centered on Marketing Communications, Public Relations and Finance.

In 2011, Ms. Buggs and husband Benjamin began a non-profit food pantry called Faith Food Fridays in their home city of Vallejo that today serves more than 400 families weekly with free groceries and other necessities and services, including free flu and COVID vaccinations.

Mary Ann is the current chair of the Emergency Food and Shelter Program (EFSP), a United Way program as well as a board member of the Women’s Intercultural Network. She is currently a fellow for the Vital Village Networks working to create a community powered food justice system. Most recently, she served as co-chair on the Racial Equity and Hunger National Learning Network, an organization working to end hunger in the US by disrupting racism. Previously she served as board member for the Indian Health Center of Silicon Valley as well as the 7 Generations Intertribal Council.

Mary Ann and Benjamin have 5 children and 14 grandchildren. She enjoys time with family, crafting, gardening, and traveling, especially to attend Native American Pow Wows.

Elham Hoominfar is an assistant professor in the Global Health Studies Program at Northwestern University. Hoominfar is a sociologist whose research expertise focuses on intersections of environment and society and understanding of social inequalities and social movements with an interdisciplinary approach. She received her first master’s degree in the sociology of development at the University of Tehran, where she also got her bachelor’s degree in sociology. Before she left Iran, she maintained an active research agenda and she was involved in various research and teaching projects in different institutes. She received her second master’s in Cross-Cultural and International Education program at Bowling Green State University, Ohio, and her PhD in sociology from Utah State University. Her PhD project focused on marketization of water and environmental movements in Iran and the US.

Hoominfar has extensive teaching experience in the United States and Iran. She employs a student-centered learning method and a critical view for teaching. She is currently researching environmental justice, water governance, commodification of nature and social resistances with an emphasis on political economy in the Global South and North. She has focused on marginalized groups, and examined issues such as development, natural disasters and social inequality in an array of research publications in both Persian and English.

Global Health Courses Taught

• Environmental Justice
• Hazards, Disasters, and Society

Recent Publications

Hoominfar, E & Zangeneh, N. 2021. “The Brick Wall to Break: Women and the Labor Market under the Hegemony of the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI)”. International Feminist Journal of Politics, (23) 2, 263-286, DOI:10.1080/14616742.2021.1898286

Hoominfar, E & Radel, C. 2020. “Contested Dam Development in Iran: A Case Study of the Exercise of State Power over Local People”. Sustainability, 12, (13) 5476. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12135476

Hoominfar, E. 2020. “Social Movements in Iran: How well does the dominant narrative work?” Critical Sociology, 1-17. https://doi.org/10.1177%2F0896920520976792

Hoominfar, E. 2019. Socialization of Women. In: Leal Filho W., Azeiteiro U., Azul, A.M., Brandli, L., Özuyar, P., Wall, T. (eds) Gender Equality. Encyclopedia of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Springer, Cham

Alaedini, p & Javaheripour, M. and Hoominfar, E. 2013. “Enhancing Community Resilience to Floods in Iran: The Case of Post-Disaster Neka”. International Journal of Social Sciences, (1) 4, 267-272.

Hoominfar, E and Moidfar, S. 2012. Strategies to Increase Rural Participation in Village Affairs. Ghom, Iran; Motahari. (2^nd Edition)

Hoominfar, E, Ahmadzadeh, S and Alaedini, P. 2011. “A Social Assessment of Bam in the Aftermath of the 2003 Earthquake,” in Pooya Alaedini, ed., Post-Earthquake Reconstruction and Vulnerability Reduction in Iran: Social and Management Aspects, Tehran: Natural Disasters Research Institute & Jameeshenasan.

Latifa Ahmadi was born in Afghanistan and completed her primary and secondary education in Pakistan. She got her Bachelor Degree from Kabul Educational University- faculty of English Literature and Master Degree in International Relations from Avicenna University- Kabul -Afghanistan. She dedicated her life to empower women to break the chains of oppressions, discrimination and violence against women. As a representative of Afghan women, she participated in different European and Asian International women gathering for revealing real condition of Afghan women.

• Women activist since she was 14 years old
• Former Executive Director of OPAWC (Organization for Promoting Afghan Women Capabilities)
• Present Director of EBFO (Enter to Bright Future Organization)

She worked in different areas, but she spent most of her life for OPAWC [Organization for Promoting Afghan Women’s Capabilities]. She was responsible for overall management of this organization, coordinating  provincial activities. She worked hard to teach the women to defend their rights and to participate in the women movements for their rights. Involved in reporting to donors and government agencies, involved in planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of different projects, Involved in developing trainings on different issues.  She volunteered much of her time for extending OPAWC ‘s activities in different fields in different provinces in order to pave the way for more women and girls to walk through and to learn.  She volunteered her life and time for helping women and children in different fields.

Formally worked as administrator and translator in OPAWC, worked as Instructor in Private Institutes and Courses, worked as translator and provincial coordinator in Ministry of Education of Afghanistan, worked as freelancer translator in BBC monitoring Afghanistan, worked as project assistant in COSPE Onlus an Italian Ngo and from October 2009 to May2017 worked as Executive Director of OPAWC. She resigned from OPAWC on May 2017 in order to give the chance to other young women to take the leadership.

She established a new NGO named (Enter to Bright Future Organization) in Dec 2018. The Objectives and Goals of this organization was to help vulnerable women and children particularly youth generation. She had two small project but funding was a challenge due to lockdown and Covid-19.

In December 2020 she and her family were not safe in Afghanistan and had to leave under a very difficult circumstances to Uzbekistan.  Latifa and her husband and four children are not residing in Sweden.    

Our beloved Marilyn Fowler, Founder of WIN celebrated her 90th birthday on Saturday October 30th ( Birthday on October 28th ) at Granada Hills Recreation Center Park. I could not join for her birthday on October 30th at the park but the following week, Afsaneh, one of the founders of ICWIN ( Iranian Circle of WIN ) and I went to visit her. We were to go to visit her with chocolate and flowers but Chris her son told us she loves – still loves books! The joy in her eyes seeing six books was amazing. She sent her love to everyone.