Climate action and gender equality: Can we close the gap on one without the other? 8 March 2021 — 2:30PM TO 4:00PM Anonymous (not verified) 15 February 2021 Online

In partnership with the COP26 presidency, policymakers and experts examine the interrelationship between gender equality and climate action, and highlight innovative examples of policy and practice from around the world.

Marking International Women’s Day, this event organized by the COP26 presidency in partnership with Chatham House, will explore how gender equality and climate action go hand-in-hand. The agreement of the Gender Action Plan (GAP) at COP25 sent the message that the time for gender-responsive climate action is now.

This will be a unique opportunity to hear from policymakers and civil society leaders discussing whether enough is being done, as well as highlighting cutting-edge work around the world and suggesting what the future could hold.

The event will be livestreamed on this event page.

Lutz Mattner
Theor. Probability and Math. Statist. 111 (), 45-122.
Abstract, references and article information

Why Ethiopia must close its political gender gap The World Today mhiggins.drupal 29 July 2022

Women urgently need to gain access to high office if the country hopes to survive, say Hilina Berhanu Degefa and Emebet Getachew.

At the end of 2021, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s government announced the formation of a three-year national dialogue to address Ethiopia’s political crisis, looking at the ongoing civil war and conflict, inflation, unemployment, drought and other urgent domestic issues. 

But, while efforts have been made to ensure the participation of women in this dialogue, it must be more than symbolic otherwise gaps in meaningful gender inclusion could have significant implications on the very survival of the country.
 
One of the challenges for meaningful inclusion is that Ethiopia is a highly patriarchal society. Patriarchal norms and practices permeate all aspects of the country’s social, economic and political life. Women constitute over half of the Ethiopian population and represent 41 per cent of the national parliament.

Nevertheless, most political parties, including those with liberal credentials, are exclusively governed by men, with women taking almost no part in key decision-making processes. As a result, women are relegated to the margins of political and economic activities. 

Though there has been little systematic study of the structural challenges faced by Ethiopian women in politics, women members of political parties encounter many barriers, including political violence, male-coded norms and sexist discourses across Ethiopian society.
 
The nature and scale of political violence perpetrated against women is particularly disempowering and affects their ability to participate in political spaces.

While attitudes to gender equality, sexual violence and gender discrimination are often trivialized, they remain ever-present threats in women’s lives. As late as 2016, a significant minority of men still believed wife-beating to be justified in certain situations. Even when women overcome social pressure to pursue their political ambitions, patriarchal views and practices within political party structures about the role of women significantly undermine their active participation and engagement. 

The political space is even more inaccessible to women with disabilities and in conflict and climate-related crises such as among internally displaced people and in pastoral communities. Male-coded norms ingrained at both party and community levels remain a significant concern. Specifically, sex in exchange for candidacy, inconsiderate working schedules affecting women with children and denial of access to equal information and financial resources are frequently reported as major internal hurdles among political parties.

Closing the gender gap could offer Ethiopia a new beginning

Many political initiatives designed to tackle these gender imbalances often have been driven by short-term political considerations without proper gender-gap assessment and policy analysis. In most cases, the authorities have viewed gender-targeted reforms as acts of benevolence, dispensed by the government, without adopting the legal and financial measures necessary to ensure sustainability and impact.
 
Take, for example, Abiy’s appointment of a 50:50 gender-balanced cabinet in 2018. At the time, much was made about its transformative potential, with the prime minister attracting widespread global approval. Yet, a cabinet reshuffle in 2021 reduced female representation to 36.3 per cent, with far less scrutiny or accountability.

This indicates that gender equality in Ethiopia is not considered a priority but rather an endeavour for more opportune, ‘stable’ times. Without thorough measures that create the conditions for real change, the aspiration of having a gender-balanced cabinet will always be challenging to translate into lasting equal representation.
 
The proposed national dialogue presents an ideal opportunity for Ethiopian women to begin reshaping attitudes and closing the gender gap through their inclusion and participation in the political process. To do so, three issues must be addressed.
 
First, the varying rights of women need to be consolidated, including on identity, constitutional reform and economic issues .

Second, gender equality considerations must be absorbed into mainstream political discourse at all levels.

Third, the experiences of women in the recent war, other ongoing conflicts and past and lingering legacies of political violence targeting women from specific communities, must be acknowledged and remedied. 

If Ethiopia is indeed serious about addressing its asymmetric gender power dynamics, this national dialogue provides an excellent opportunity to begin the process. Genuine participation of women as independent actors, with their own agency, could offer Ethiopia a new beginning.

Researchers once faced death threats for asking women what gives them pleasure. Now they’re helping individuals and couples figure it out themselves.

"We have a responsibility to save lives," Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said on Twitter. "We could have waited to close schools, but based on advice from health experts, this is the time to do it."

At least four Kentucky school districts were forced to close last Thursday as hundreds of teachers called in sick to continue protesting what they believe to be anti-public education proposals in the state legislature.

A measure now before Virginia's governor would let teachers bargain with local boards over wages and working conditions if a local board authorizes it.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo pushed back on the Mayor Bill de Blasio's announcement, however, saying "no decision" had been made about reopening schools in New York City or elsewhere in the state.

The impact of the killings of students and staff at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School could extend into the tight Florida contest that will help decide control of the U.S. Senate.

Addressing the plenary meeting in the closing session of the 159^th Session of the Council, the Director-General expressed his appreciation to delegates for their commitment and hard work to [...]

A SpaceX mission arrived at the International Space Station with two astronauts instead of four to leave room for NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore on the return trip in early 2025

The A.C. Hunter Public Library wants people in St. John’s to know that it’s open and accessible, despite how the entrance looks. The main staircase is under repair but there’s plenty of signs directing folks to other entrances. Still, librarians say people are judging this book by its cover and assuming the library is closed.

In the new year, Ontario is supposed to be fully accessible for disabled people, but advocates say the province is ‘nowhere near’ meeting standards it created 20 years ago.

Malls and transit will operate under regular hours in Windsor, Ont., while museums and libraries will be closed on Remembrance Day.

Canadian swingman RJ Barrett was upgraded to day-to-day and engaged in non-contact practise on Monday, two days before Toronto hosts the Cleveland Cavaliers at Scotiabank Arena.

OM Montenegro holds a programme for local friends to learn and talk about God.

OM Montenegro has discovered that if they are faithful and patient, they can eventually walk through doors that had once seemed closed.

An OM worker rediscovers how God can use a difficult situation to accomplish His purposes.

Students who were chronically absent or at risk of dropping out before the coronavirus outbreak are even more at risk now that schools are closed, experts say.

This national map tracks each state's mandates or recommendations on K-12 school closures and openings related to the coronavirus.

"Colorblind" teaching isn’t going to cut it, writes Vanderbilt University’s H. Richard Milner IV.

This closure will allow DSHA to process existing applications submitted up to that point. Tenants and landlords with open or in-progress applications submitted before 8:00 a.m. on January 2, 2023, are encouraged to monitor their emails, text messages, and voicemails for status updates.

Dover, Del. January 29, 2024 – In January 2023, the Delaware State Housing Authority (DSHA) launched the Delaware Tenant Rent Reporting Pilot Program in partnership with Self Financial, Inc. and NeighborGood Partners. This voluntary and free program allows qualified Delaware renters to build their credit by reporting their on-time rent payments to Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion […]

The non-marital birth rate to women age 24 and under was 71 percent in 2017. Here's what that means for educational outcomes and schools, according to guest blogger Ian Rowe.

"Colorblind" teaching isn’t going to cut it, writes Vanderbilt University’s H. Richard Milner IV.

At this years TeenStreet Europe 1,800 teenagers experienced a week that brought them closer to God and mobilised them to be lights in their communities.

Scientists at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in California are exploring new techniques for creating superheavy elements, focusing on the potential synthesis of “element 120,” also called unbinilium. If successful, this addition could lead to an eighth row on the periodic table. Using ion bombardment, researchers demonstrated a process that may achieve unbinilium by targeting californium with supercharged titanium ions. The approach offers promise, although creating just two atoms could take weeks. This project marks an important step forward in understanding atomic structures and superheavy elements.

Museum to add sprinkler system.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 18, 2017  Wilmington – The Delaware Department of Labor’s Fox Valley office in Wilmington will be closed today, July 18, 2017, due to a water main break in the area. Those members of the public seeking assistance can visit the DOL website at http://dol.delaware.gov for details on location and contact information […]

August 14, 2017   Georgetown – The DOL Georgetown office is closed today due to an interruption in water service. Visit at dol.delaware.gov for contract info for our other offices as well as updates to the situation. We anticipate the issue will be corrected by Friday, Aug. 15 and apologize for the inconvenience.   ABOUT THE DELAWARE […]

Severe Weather Conditions & Emergencies Alert – New Castle County WILMINGTON: State of Delaware offices in New Castle County are closing on Wednesday, March 7, 2018 from noon until 11:59 p.m.  

Effective June 1, outdoor gatherings of more than 25 people will be permitted at Delaware’s state forests, subject to compliance with the Division of Public Health's "Guidance on Outdoor Gatherings." While the state's ban on short-term rentals will be lifted on June 1, camping at Blackbird State Forest and Redden State Forest, as well as the Redden Lodge, will be closed to the public until further notice. Plans are underway to implement a new online, fee-based reservation system expected to be operational later this summer. There is no fixed date on the launch of the new system, which will include the addition of two new camp sites each at both Blackbird and Redden. The new system will also handle advance bookings for the popular and historic Redden Lodge. Users can make camping and lodge reservations for future dates, receive electronic confirmations, and make payments and receive refunds via credit card.

Redden State Forest has closed its campsites and many trails still remain inaccessible following the heavy snowstorm on January 3 that dumped up to 14.5 inches in nearby Ellendale. With a potential for additional snowfall of 3 inches or more and wind gusts to 35 m.p.h., Delaware Forest Service staff are currently assessing impacts from the storm and working to mitigate hazardous trees in and around high-use areas and clear trails and access roads. The Redden Education Trail (photo) on the Headquarters Tract is littered with downed trees and covered with heavy snow. Visitors should be aware of the potential for falling tree limbs on all areas of the state forest. The historic Redden Lodge, also on the Headquarters Tract, remains accessible for now and is open for previously scheduled events and bookings.