Vulnerability to climate and environmental stressors is shaped by gender roles and responsibilities. Climate change, environmental degradation and disasters due to natural hazards affect people of all genders in different ways. In line with IOM’s new Institutional Strategy on Migration, Environment and Climate Change 2021-2030, IOM is adopting a gender responsive approach as a guiding principle in developing solutions for people to move, solutions for people on the move and solutions for people to stay. IOM is ensuring existing inequalities and vulnerabilities are not exacerbated and new ones are not created, notably for female migrants, women and girls in disaster displacement settings and women staying back in the place of origin. IOM’s gender approach also takes into consideration the potential for empowerment in enabling women and men to participate in and benefit from climate change mitigation and adaptation. IOM recognizes that women, including women staying behind and migrant women, are powerful agents of change and leaders in their families and communities, and at national and international level. Within its programming, IOM’s Migration, Environment and Climate Change (MECC) Division has closely explored the intersection between gender, migration, the environment and climate change. The important lessons produced are demonstrating to provide an invaluable contribution to the reporting on the migration, environment and climate change nexus to various global policy frameworks such as United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, Sendai Framework on Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 and Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration. In IOM’s spotlight session, IOM will shed light on the nexus between, gender, climate change and migration, and elaborate on how IOM is supporting the Member States to address this nexus.

Agenda – 1 March 2022, 9:30 – 10:30 CET

09:30 – 09:35 Welcome remarks By IOM Sr. Regional Policy and Liaison Officer and Gender and Diversity Focal Point – Amr Taha

09:35 – 09:50 The nexus between gender, migration and climate change – Manuel Marquez Pereira, IOM Head of Migration, Environment and Climate Change Division, IOM HQ

09:50 – 10:00 The contribution of women and girls towards a sustainable future. Presentation/statement by stakeholder with lived experience By Executive Director of NGO “Shifo” IOM Project: Women staying behind and climate change adaptation in Shahrituz, Tajikistan. As more men from rural areas seek employment opportunities away from home, women will have to increasingly manage new challenges, including the adverse impacts of climate change. In Shahrituz district of Tajikistan, an IOM Development Fund-supported project on “Understanding the Nexus of Migration Gender, Climate Change and Agriculture” is assessing the effectiveness of developing capacities of women staying behind to enhance household-level climate change adaptation to drought and severe water shortage in Tajikistan.

10:00 – 10:30 Q&A session Moderated by IOM Sr. Regional Policy and Liaison Officer and Gender and Diversity Focal Point – Amr Taha Registration and Connection details You will receive the connection link upon registration.

Please register here. The session will be primarily held in English, with one presentation in Russian. English-Russian simultaneous interpretation will be provided throughout the whole session.