April 2009: The International Labour Organization (ILO), the World Health Organization (WHO), the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), and the UN Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) have submitted suggestions in the framework of the work of the Ad Hoc Working Group on Long Term Cooperative Action (AWG-LCA) related to development and social issues, in particular on employment and incomes, food and agriculture, gender equality, health and development.

The submission outlines the organizations’ shared vision and details recommendations regarding mitigation, adaptation, finance and technology. On mitigation, the submission stresses the need for: assessing and addressing the social impact of climate change mitigation policies and measures; and ensuring that all members of society can contribute to and benefit from mitigation policies, which should be designed to reduce emissions while enhancing employment opportunities, health, food security and equal access to positive incentives and resources by women and men. On adaptation, the organizations suggest that strategies be: designed and implemented in coordination with poverty reduction and development strategies to address social vulnerabilities; and responsive to the differentiated needs of social groups. On finance and technology, the organizations recommend that: the allocation and disbursement of international funds for mitigation and adaptation programmes, technology transfer and capacity building prioritize the needs of vulnerable groups; and that data disaggregated by sex, age and urban-rural should be used at all levels to identify and assess technology needs of women and men, in various economic sectors and socioeconomic groups. [The submission]