2. Gender, Climate Change and Human Security Women’s Environment and Development Organization (WEDO)62

Climate Change is increasingly recognized as a major human security issue that poses serious global threats. Although climate change affects everyone regardless of race, caste, ethnicity, sex and level of income, its impacts are more heavily felt by poor nations, communities and people, and climate change magnifies existing inequalities. For the world’s poor the impact will be most severe, disproportionately affecting their livelihoods and security. Women comprise 70 % of those living below the poverty line. As a result, they are most likely to bear the heaviest burdens when natural disasters strike. At the same time, women are often overlooked as potential contributors to climate change solutions, and thus to the security of all human beings. The Hyogo Framework for Action that emerged from the United Nation’s 2005 World Conference on Disaster Reduction states that “a gender perspective should be integrated into all disaster risk management policies, plans and decision-making processes, including those related to risk assessment, early warning, information management, and education and training ” (ISDR, 2005:4). It is, therefore, imperative that governments and other stakeholders build into their policies and programs strong links between gender