Svandís Svavarsdóttir umhverfisráðherra flutti eftirfarandi ávarp á morgunverðarfundi sem haldinn var á Hótel sögu þann 24. febrúar og fjallaði um kyn og loftslagsbreytingar.

Dear guests,

Dear Ugandan visitors

It is a pleasure for me to address this breakfast meeting on the important topic of gender and climate change.

The global community struggles to find a common solution to the alarming threat of human induced climate change.  It does not respect international boundaries and will therefore not be solved without a joint venture of those countries responsible for emissions of greenhouse gases to the common atmosphere.

The international climate negotiations are ongoing slowly and although the last COP in Durban came out with promising long term ambitions, the much needed immediate actions to halt emission are not within sight.  Hugi Ólafsson will tell you more about the current status of the climate negotiations later this morning.

It is therefore inevitable for countries to start to prepare for adaptation to climate change. Countries will however be differently affected, and the capacity to adapt and cope with the changes is also different.

It is predicted that Africa is the continent that will suffer most. Most experts agree now that Africa is the most vulnerable continent to climate change and the least able to adapt to the effects.

This relates both to expected intensity of climate change in the regions, but also to the fact that most people there are self-subsistence farmers and pastoralist that are highly vulnerable to climate changes. 

In Uganda - the country we are focusing on here today - about 80% of the populations are self-subsistence farmers, deriving their basic livelihoods directly from land and available natural resources.  It is predicted that this large group of people are those that will be most affected by climate change.

It is further predicted that the affects will impact women differently that man, and in Sub-Saharan Africa, most likely imply further constraints to the already constraint women. Commonly it is the role of the woman to cultivate the land, fetch water and collect firewood, in addition to raising the children and doing housework. There, woman are already experiencing changes in climate that affects and constraints them, such as droughts, agriculture decline, longer distances to water sources and challenges related to accessing firewood.

The effects of climate change will most likely affect women more severely than man.  Gender issues are therefore central in all discussion about climate change, both in mitigating as adapting to climate change. This applies especially to developing countries where the key livelihood strategy is self-subsistence agriculture.

But woman are not only vulnerable victims of climate change - they are also importance agents of change. I am convinced that empowering and educating women and bringing them closer to decision making, is the single most effective measure to combat climate change. And that applies to all countries and societies.

Dear guests

Iceland has actively promoted the important role of gender in the international climate negotiations. We have argued that it is important both in mitigation actions as in adaptation to climate change. Fortunately, there is now a growing and more common understanding of this important issue.

Projects and programs are now emanating from this that focuses on the importance of gender when addressing the climate change issues and aim to mainstream gender in climate change actions.

The project on Gender and climate change that the Government of Uganda and the Icelandic, Danish and Norwegian governments have now jointly entered is an outstanding example of what is needed in order to move from the discussions and good will talking to real activities. Or as the English say „to put the money where the mouth is!“.   

Uganda and Iceland have been formally development partners since 2001 and The Icelandic International Development Agency has office and active operations in Uganda. It is a pleasure to see that cooperation address such a highly important and emerging issue as gender and climate change.  

The project on gender and climate change in Uganda has many dimensions as will be further listed here today. It entails among other issues research on gender and climate change in rural Uganda by Makerere University in Kampala, preparations of the Ugandan delegation for the COP meetings, high-level political summit, conferences and production of documentary films.

And a part of this is the course that will be presented here today – a short training courses on how to mainstream gender into climate change actions in Uganda, offering training and capacity building for a selected number of experts and policy makers. It is a pleasure that the International Genders Equality Study Program – GEST - at the University of Iceland has got the responsibility to develop and run the course in close collaboration with the Ugandan partners. I am convinced that this will be a success and can hopefully become a role model for others in the future.

Dear guests;

Iceland will continue promote the importance of gender in the international climate negotiations, as the seminal factor for success.

And there is as great need for success as climate change is a threat to our survival and well-being. The climate change challenge is major intergenerational issue. It is our responsibility to pass our common environment to the future generations in equally good shape as when we came about. In order to succeed in that, both women and man need to be equally represented.

Many thanks