Start Date : 1 Feb 10   End Date : 26 Feb 10 Location: On-line

UN-HABITAT and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is inviting all those with an interest in gender and environmental issues to participate in an online discussion launched today, entitled Women and Environment.

Hosted on UN-HABITAT’s website, the online discussion looks at progress and challenges since 1995, when the international development community made global commitments in the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, the outcome document of the Fourth World Conference on Women.

The Platform calls for a holistic and multidisciplinary approach in dealing with environmental issues, noting the linkages between gender inequalities, poverty, national disasters, health problems and unsustainable development.  The online discussion builds upon recommendations made at the 10-year review of the Beijing Platform.

Issues include the role of women’s participation and decision-making in environmental policies, the impact of climate change on women, gender-responsive environmental assessments and the positive role of women in disaster mitigation, adaptation and planning.

The e-discussion is open to all stakeholders.  UN-HABITAT and UNEP are welcoming practitioners, experts and policy-makers, from the UN system and civil society to participate or to follow the discussions.
 
For more information, go to http://forum.unhabitat.org.  The online discussion is open until 26 February 2010.