On the outskirts of the climate negotiations, in the centre of Bonn, 70 people gathered to celebrate the opening of the Gender Just Climate Solutions exhibition hosted at Frauenmuseum.

No country in the world has achieved gender equality, including the rich and notionally progressive countries in Europe (EIGE, 2017). Some countries have come further than others, but none have achieved gender equality on key themes such as work, money, power, access to health, knowledge, time, overcoming violence.

The exhibition is a tribute to the political power and artistic creativity of women. It showcases the importance of local, gender just climate initiatives, the transformative potential of decentralized solutions to halting climate change, which can flip the logic of the prevalent system. It outlines gender equality’s role within the Paris Agreement while illustrating how the roles we have in society (depending on our gender, class, race, locality, sexuality etc.) affect how we impact and tackle climate change.

The exhibition also seeks to show how climate change policies should be implemented holistically in symbiosis with the Sustainable Development Goals. When women design climate change solutions, entire communities will benefit.  Smart gender just and needs based solutions already exist – it’s time we showcase them!

Shradha Shreejaya, APWLD, demanded that politically, negotiationg Parties of the climate negotiations (COP23) need to significantly step up the gender responsiveness of climate policies, deliver on and exceed the pledges on climate finance. She emphasized that as we aim for system change (not climate change), art become a powerful tool.

Speakers

Marianne Pitzen, Director and curator of Frauenmuseum; Ina Scharrenbach, Ministerin für Heimat, Kommunales, Bau und Gleichstellung, State of North Rhine Westphalia; Claudia Freudigmann, GIZ; Dr. Ursula Schäfer-Preuss, Vice President of UN Women National Committee Germany; Shrada Shreejaya, Asia Pacific Women Law and Development – APWLD; Ms. Sascha Gabizon, Executive Director, WECF and Women and Gender Constituency.

Organisers

WECF on behalf of Women & Gender Constituency, UN Women’s National Committee of Germany

Hosted by

WECF; WEDO; Women & Gender Constituency; Frauenmuseum Bonn; UN Women Germany; Women2030.

Supported by

Europeaid; GIZ; The State Government of North Rhine-Westphalia.

The exhibition: “Gender-Just Climate Solutions” has been endorsed by the jury consisting of the partners UNFCCC, the incoming Fijian Presidency of COP23, the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety and the City of Bonn.