Women and girls continue to face several socio-political barriers that hinder their access to services and resources, and their participation in decision-making processes. This puts them at a disadvantage on many fronts, including in terms of their capacity to cope with the consequences of climate change.
I congratulate UNOPS, Bangladesh and Ghana for convening this discussion, and for helping to raise awareness on the relationship between gender and sustainable infrastructure.
This discussion allows for an exchange of best practices and concrete examples, and underscores how sustainable, resilient, and inclusive infrastructure can reduce the vulnerabilities faced by women and girls confronting climate change.
Excellencies,
I hope that today’s discussion will also feed into the High-Level Meeting on the implementation of the New Urban Agenda, which I will convene on the 28th of April.
This High-Level Meeting will emphasize the necessity of climate-resilient cities and infrastructure, and provide us a critical opportunity to elevate the New Urban Agenda as a road map for accelerating sustainable development, climate action, and social resilience.
As mentioned in the 6th IPCC report, sustainable urbanization is necessary to keep the 1.5 degrees target alive. In view of this, I have established an Advisory Committee on Sustainable Urbanization, bringing together member states and key stakeholders to generate momentum, and to make this a priority issue on the global agenda, while emphasising its gender dimension.
A key message we must press is that the UN must partner with, and help mobilize, sustainable and gender-sensitive urbanization professionals from across the world, including architects, surveyors, and urban planners.
And just as important is the need to ensure that women architects, surveyors and urban planners are afforded their respective seats at the table.
Whether implementing urban strategies that mitigates the threat of gender-based violence, or establishing gender-positive spaces, such as lactation rooms for new mothers – as I am doing here at the UN – we need the voices, ideas, concepts, and skills of women professionals. Their inputs are critical not only to more climate resilient infrastructure, but also to urban planning and infrastructure that is gender sensitive and responsive.
Friends,
As we recover better from the pandemic and strive to build climate-resilient communities and infrastructure, we must empower all people, but particularly women and girls who are on the frontlines of combatting the climate crisis. Only by recognizing and empowering them as powerful agents of change, can we plan and build truly sustainable communities.
I thank you.
