Since 1984, IUCN has been developing a series of global efforts aiming at the incorporation of the gender equity perspective in the conservation initiatives. This efforts can be summarized as follow:
1984
In the General Assembly held in Madrid arose some recommendations about women and the environment that led to the creation of a teamwork that will promote the involvement of women in all the levels of the organization.
1986-1987
In 1986, in the conference about "Conservation and Development: Implementing the World Conservation Strategy" that was held in Ottawa, Canada, it came up the need for a supplement to The World Conservation Strategy about "Women, the environment and Sustainable Development". In accordance with this specific demand, a team started working on Women and Environment to develop the program about Population and Sustainable Development at a Global Level in 1987.
1988 - 1989
Following the recommendations of the General Assembly in 1988 in Costa Rica, is created the Program of Women and Natural Resources Management. The objective of this program was to develop conservation programs that will prove to be more effective through the visualization and recognition of the roles women play. The programme launched various activities, among which out stand the training, the participation in international events and the establishment of several networks.
The Regional Office for Mesoamerica of the IUCN (ORMA) creates the Gender Programme.
1990 - 1992
Evaluation of the Programme Women and Management of Natural Resources by Carolyn Hannan-Andersson, who concludes that the objectives of the program were not reached because the Union lacked of a policy and a clear structure related to the issue. This is how the gender activities are fused in the Social Division that afterwards would be defined as the Social Policy Group.
1993 - 1995
The new IUCN's Director, David McDowell professed his interest to incorporate the gender equity perspective in the structure of the Union. Different teams are conformed, two of them (Equity of Opportunities and Human Resources) deal with the gender sensibilization of the personnel of the organization. These teams draft the Policy about Human Resources Development, which was approved b the Council in 1995.
IUCN sends a delegation to the Fourth World Conference in Beijing, China.
1996
In Canada was held the World Conservation Congress from which came up the Resolution 1.5 which asks IUCN's General Director to name a multidisciplinary team to design a strategy that could integrate the gender perspective into the Union.
1997
Resulting from this Congress, the General Director called a team to work on Gender and Sustainable Development that meets for the first time in Costa Rica on January
1998
The Regional Office for Mesoamerica starts a process of consolidation of the networks and develops methodological materials to incorporate the gender equity perspective in the cycle of the projects.
February 1998
The Team working about Gender and Sustainable Development meets in Costa Rica and drafts a gender equity policy with its own action plan. This documents state the necessary actions to mainstream gender in the policies, programmes and projects of the Union. The action plan also called for the appointment of a Gender Senior Advisor and focal points in the different regions that could raise the issue.
April 1998
IUCN's Council approves the drafted policy and its action plan and appoints for the first time in the IUCN's history a Senior Gender Advisor with the sufficient budget to initiate the action plan.
1999
The Mesoamerican Regional office elaborates the Towards the Equity Series which is referred to take up again the promotion of gender equity inside the Union.
2000
A new Senior Gender Advisor is appointed.
In the Amman World Congress is approved the Resolution 2.28 where the General Director assigns more budget to double the efforts to mainstream gender in the Union in specific ecosystems.
2001
A Socioeconomic Program at a Global level is created. It comprises four units: the Sustainable Development Initiative, the Social Policy, the Economic and the Gender Unit.
2002
IUCN helps in the organization of the "Meeting of women leaders on the environment" that was held in Helsinki on 7 - 8 March, 2002,. aiming to prepared women’s position on the environmental issues toward Johannesburg Summit.
Participation in the preparatory process for the COP6 about desertification and arid zones, Havana, Cuba. Workshop on gender and desertification. Presentation of the book “De Aciertos y desiertos. Equidad de género en ecosistemas de tierra seca” .
The workshop on gender produced a document with recommendations for the Sixth Conference of the Parties -COP6,
COP 6, The Hague, Netherlands (April 7-19, 2002) IUCN was invited to address the preparatory subjects for the COP-7: local communities, gender equity and protected areas.
2003
The fifth WCPA was celebrated in Durban, South Africa, on September 8-17, 2003. The hosts of the Congress, former president of South Africa and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, Nelson Mandela and her Majesty Queen Noor, strongly supported the theme of the Congress “Benefits beyond boundaries.”
The office of the Senior Gender Advisor participated in the production of the video “Gender Matters”, presented by the Vice minister of Environment and Tourism of South Africa, Rejoice Mabudafhasi. There were also other materials prepared, like an article about protected areas and gender and four case studies from different regions of the world (Tanga; Guatemala; Jaú; Policies)
March 2003
Third World Water Forum - 3WWF Japan.
The participation in the 3WWF was preceded by the preparation of technical reports and the celebration of the international gender day within the program of the Forum. The Senior gender advisor of IUCN presented three documents:
Tapping Into Sustainability: Issues and Trends in Gender Mainstreaming in Water and Sanitation. Con GWA - Gender and Water Alliance
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Untapped Connections: Gender Poverty and Water.
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Gender and Water Alliance. Report of actions and activities to the Third World Water Forum.
The final declaration of the ministers included gender equity in its final version.
2004
COP7- Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (9 - 20 February 2004)
Communication Strategy “Gender Makes the Difference.” This successful'
communication strategy had the goal of ensuring the inclusion of the gender equity zapproach in the resolutions and final documents of the Third IUCN World Conservation Congress in Bangkok Thailand. The plan headed by the Senior Gender Advisor of the Union was supported by the Conservation Community Coalition formed by Conservation International (CI), The Nature Conservancy (TNC), USAID, Women’s Environment and Development Organization (WEDO), Population Reference Bureau (PRB) and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). It is important to underline the participation of the Mesoamerican members of the Union, such as the University of Guadalajara, the Natural History Society of the Soconusco and the Salvadorian Association Pro-Health (ASAPROSAR).
As a result of the coordination of this strategy 20 fact sheets were published about the main topics addressed in the congress, furthermore, there were representative of the interests of women in all discussions and forums (see more details in the press release).
Resolution 3.009 To establish gender equity as a mandate in all strategic activities and themes of IUCN, approved in the 3rd World Conservation Congress Bangkok, Thailand. Highlights the work of the Mesoamerican region and the commitment of the Union with the gender equity.
WEDO & UICN launched the Campaign “Plant a tree for Peace”. Lorena Aguilar announced in Thailand the beginning of a World Campaign “Plant a tree for peace” on December 10, 2004, the day Wangari Maathai was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. To launch the campaign the first tree, a Thai Jasmine, was planted in IUCN Regional office for Asia in Bangkok, Thailand. This global action leaded by women, is the first concrete action that links the fight for the environmental conservation, peace and human rights (see more details in the press release).
2005
March 2005
IUCN participated in the Meeting of the United Nations Commission on the State of Women, Beijing +10. The Senior Gender Advisor stated in her official declaration the commitment of the international community in promoting gender equity, and stressed the need to reinforce gender equity in the environmental initiatives, where women should participate in the decision making related to the environment; and the gender equity approach should be mainstreamed in all sustainable development policies and programs. She also called for the strengthening or creation of mechanism at a regional, national and international level to assess the effects of the development and conservation policies for women. |
