23 October 2008: The Third Congress on Women in Politics and
Governance: Focus on Gender, Climate Change and Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR)
took place from 19-22 October 2008, in Manila, Philippines. The event was
organized by the Center for Asia-Pacific Women in Politics in partnership with
the UN/International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UN/ISDR), the UN
Development Programme (UNDP), and the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), among
other organizations.

The Congress aimed to provide a forum for legislators and
decision-makers to: provide an understanding of climate change, its impacts and
its implications, and study the appropriate risk reduction strategy; review and
examine the gender aspects in climate change and DRR and formulate appropriate
actions to address them; define the roles women can play in addressing the
impacts of climate change and DRR programmes and policies at all levels; and
identify and define the action agenda for parliamentarians, policy advocates,
and women leaders to support global and national actions to adapt gender
responsive legislation and programmes related to gender in climate change and
DRR.
Speakers at the event included: Achim Steiner, UNEP Executive Director;
Hanna Uusimaa, UNEP Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific; Linda Milan,
World Health Organization; and Feng Min Kan, UN/ISDR Secretariat. UN Conference
on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) Secretary-General Supachai Panitchpakdi
underlined that gender inequalities underlie women’s greater vulnerability to
climate change and, in turn, its impacts reinforce the inequalities. He offered
several suggestions for national and international action to break this
“vicious circle of worsening inequalities and impact,” which he said has a
devastating effect on economic and trade growth. [Congress Website] [UNCTAD
Secretary-General Statement]