A2 Gender, urban development and adaptation to climate change
Rapid urbanization, migration and climate change are among the factors that are increasingly posing a stress to urban populations and the built environment. They also exacerbate the marginalization of vulnerable groups, including women, indigenous peoples, ethnic minorities, the poor and youth.
How can we ensure that the billions of dollars allocated to urban development result in actions that promote fair and socially equitable access to resources and economic possibilities? How can we ensure that these actions are implemented in a fair and collaborative spirit? Recognizing the ability of all stakeholders, including the most vulnerable, to inform climate and development decisions is more critical than ever. Indeed, more than victims, these actors are often key agents of such a development. And they are indeed claiming a voice and a role—not as beneficiaries but as full partners in the sustainable development agenda, particularly when it comes to pursuing integrated planning and risk management to build resilience.
This session will explore how to better integrate and empower women and marginalized groups into urban planning and development to ensure both social equity and efficiency of action. We will discuss knowledge gaps, barriers and solutions to strengthen climate resilience and enhance livelihoods of the most vulnerable communities in the developing world with a view to facilitate the scaling and financing of climate action. Aiming at generating socially-transformative solutions, the session will, rather than focus on success stories, explore factors enabling the reproduction, scaling up and financing of socially-transformative initiatives.
This session is organized in partnership with IDRC
Facilitator
Sandra Gagnon
Program Officer, International Development Research Centre, Ottawa, Canada
Panelists
Climate Adaptive water Management Plans for cities in South Asia (CAMPS)
Roshan Bajracharya
Senior Research Fellow, Southasia Institute of Advanced Studies, Katmandu, Nepal
Engendering Investments in Climate and Disaster Resilience: Transforming Initiatives from the Philippines
Emma E. Porio
Professor of Sociology, Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Ateneo de Manila University, Manila, Philippines
Improved Municipal Planning in African CiTies – for a climate resilient urban future
Rebecca Cameron
Professional Officer: Climate Change, Energy, and Resilience, ICLEI Africa, Cape Town, South Africa
Autonomous Adaptation Initiative in Informal Urban Contexts: Inclusive Potential and Policy Integration Challenges
Danielle Labbé
Professor, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Canada
Integrated Rural Urban Water Management for Climate Based Adaptations in Indian Cities (IAdapt)
Mona Lisa Sen
Programme Coordinator: Biodiversity, ICLEI South Asia
Discussant
Celestine Ketcha Courtès
Mayor of Bangangté, Cameroun, and President of the Network for Locally Elected Women of Africa, Bangangté, Cameroun