On 16 March 2022, as a side event to the sixty-sixth session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women, Latvia together with Argentina, Germany, Korea and South Africa hosted a virtual panel discussion on how to foster the participation and leadership of women in environmental science. This year’s priority theme at the UN Commission on the Status of Women is the promotion of gender equality and women’s empowerment in the context of climate change and environmental and disaster risk reduction.
Opening remarks for the discussion were delivered by Antje Leendertse, Permanent Representative of the Federal Republic of Germany to the United Nations, Vice-Chair of the CSW66 Bureau, and Dr. Thelma Krug, Vice-Chair of the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The discussion was moderated by Andrejs Pildegovičs, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Latvia to the United Nations.
Increasing women’s participation and leadership was an integral part of addressing environmental and climate change challenges. The Ambassador of Germany to the United Nations in New York, Antje Leendertse, pointed out that women in science were still facing stereotypes and discrimination. Dr. Thelma Krug, expressed conviction that one of key prerequisites to dealing with those challenges was the development and implementation of relevant policy documents. She presented an example of that – formulation of the IPCC’s Gender Policy document aimed at facilitating gender equality.
During the discussion, the panelists noted the need for support in work-life balance and they pointed out that special importance must be attached to providing access to child care services, which enables women to successfully combine their careers in science with family life. Women’s mutual support and cooperation were also essential. Although the number of women in higher education is increasing, they are underrepresented in senior positions in the research and science sector; therefore, it is essential to reinforce women’s representation in science. Elimination of gender-based violence and sexual harassment was also underlined.
The Ambassador of Latvia to the United Nations in New York, Andrejs Pildegovičs, recalled Latvia’s commitment to achieve climate neutrality by 2050, and he highlighted Latvia’s current achievements in the field of gender equality. The Ambassador underlined that there was a link between climate change and gender equality. Women have a major role to play in addressing climate challenges: the innovations and knowledge of women and girls have increased resilience to climate change and ensured a more sustainable resource management. Solutions to issues raised in the discussion should be sought by means of changing gender stereotypes in education, through empowerment by life-long learning and cooperation networks, ensuring better representation and more supportive policy for balancing work and private life.
The panelists taking part in the discussion were Prof. Carolina Vera from the University of Buenos Aires and the National Scientific and Technical Research Council of Argentina (CONICET); a representative of Germany, Dr. Frauke Muecksch, from the Rockefeller University; a representative of Latvia, Dr. Brigita Daļecka, researcher at Riga Technical University, Water Research and Environmental Biotechnology Laboratory; a representative of the Republic of Korea, Prof. Moon Jeong Choi from Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology; and Dr. Debra Roberts from Sustainable and Resilient City Initiatives Unit, eThekwini Municipality, Durban South Africa and Co-Chair the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
A full record of the event is accessible here: https://youtu.be/TY5TTT7Sl98
Background information
On 14 September 2020, in New York, Latvia was elected to the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women for the period until 2025.
The United Nations Commission on the Status of Women was established on 21 June 1946 and it is a functional commission of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). The UNCSW is the principal global intergovernmental body dedicated to the identification and understanding of various aspects of women’s lives across the globe and creating global standards for the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women. A representative of Latvia has currently been elected to the Commission’s Bureau and holds the post of Vice-President.