The theme for 2022 International Women’s Day is “Gender equality today for a sustainable tomorrow”, recognising the contributions of women and girls around the world, who are leading the charge on climate change adaptation, mitigation and response to build a more sustainable future for all.
The 2030 agenda cannot be realized without recognizing the role that transnational organized crime and corruption play in undermining sustainable development. Recognising the disproportionate effect the climate crisis has on women and girls, primarily as they constitute the majority of the world’s poor and are more dependent for their livelihood on natural resources that are threatened by climate change, it is therefore vital that women play a key role in climate justice and action, thus ensuring sustainable practices and the guarantee that no one is left behind.
Furthermore, the fragility of natural environments and the adverse consequences of climate change is increasingly pushing people worldwide to move from and across territories – these patterns have complex and evolving intersections to the crimes of trafficking in persons and smuggling of migrants. Climate change and disaster displacement exacerbate existing vulnerabilities to exploitation, abuse and violence, which puts women, men, boys and girls at risk of becoming commodities for human traffickers and migrant smugglers.
To celebrate International Women's Day, the Vienna Based Organisations hosted a series of 'spotlight sessions' to discuss the nexus between gender, climate crisis and the mandates of each respective entity. You can read the outcome of the discussion here.
Watch UNODC's spotlight session on gender, the climate crisis and UNODC mandated areas below!
Jenna Dawson-Faber,
Programme Officer
Anubha Sood,
Officer in Charge, Country Office Afghanistan
