Transcript Towards Reviewing and Reshaping Comprehensive Disaster

Climate Change, Natural
Disasters and Women
Liz Riley, Deputy Coordinator (ag)
Caribbean Disaster Emergency
Response Agency (CDERA)
Inter-American Commission of Women
Thirty-Fourth Assembly of Delegates
Santiago, Chile
November 11, 2008
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Presentation Overview
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
CDERA
Climate Change, Climate Variability
and Natural Disasters

Impacts on Women

Way forward: Platforms for Action
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What is CDERA?
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Caribbean Disaster Emergency Response Agency
Regional inter-governmental Disaster
Management Organization - Headquarters in
Barbados
Established in 1991 by Agreement of regional
Heads of Government
Main function is to make “immediate and
coordinated response” to disasters in
Participating States.
Sixteen (16) Participating States
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Climate Change, Climate
variability and natural
disasters
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Definitions
Climate Change: “A change of climate which is attributed
directly or indirectly to human activity that alters the
composition of the global atmosphere and which is in
addition to natural climate variability observed over
comparable time periods”
Source: UNFCCC

Climate variability: refers to variations in the mean state and
other statistics (such as standard deviations, the occurrence
of extremes etc.) of the climate on all spatial and temporal
scales beyond that of individual weather events.
Source: IPCC
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Disaster: A serious disruption of the functioning of a
community or a society causing widespread human,
material, economic or environmental losses which exceed
the ability of the affected community or society to cope
using its own resources.
Source: ISDR
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SOURCE: EM-DAT: The
OFDA/CRED International
Database 2008
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SOURCE: EM-DAT: The
OFDA/CRED International
Database 2008
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Selected Hazard Impacts
in the Caribbean
TIME
PLACE
DISASTER
1988
Jamaica
Hurricane Gilbert 65% GDP
1989
1999
5 countries
Dominica
Hurricane Hugo US$412 M
Hurricane Lenny 53% GDP
2004
2004
2004
Haiti & DR
Grenada
Jamaica
Flooding
Hurricane Ivan
Hurricane Ivan
270 deaths
US$895 M
US$592 M
2005
Guyana
Flooding
60% GDP
Various sources: Collated by CDERA
IMPACT
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Climate change impacts
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Sea Level Rise – IPCC 3rd Assessment Report avg
5.0mm/yr over the 21st Century
Temperature increases: 11 of the 12 warmest years on
record have occurred in the last 12 years. If
concentrations of all GHG and aerosols kept constant at
2000 levels, further warming of 0.1degrees C would be
expected *
‘Very likely” that extreme heat events and heavy
precipitation will become more frequent*
‘Likely” that future tropical cyclones will become more
intense with larger peak wind speeds and more heavy
precipitation*
* 4th IPCC Assessment Report
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Climate change impacts
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Actions to address current climate variability are the
first steps towards addressing climate change
adaptation for the future
Climate change impacts will vary from country to
country, region to region, may also vary from
community to community since impacts are linked
to existing vulnerabilities
Climate change, climate variability and natural
disasters are development issues
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How do natural disasters
and climate change affect
women?
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Overarching context – social
dimensions of natural hazard impacts
and climate change
– Susceptibility vs resilience
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Framework for the social
dimension of vulnerability
Exposure to natural disaster
Social Resilience
Social Susceptibility
Fe
ma
lehe
ad
ed
tion
uca
d
e
l
leve
ate
u
q
Ade
ho
us
e
ho
ld
Sub
stan
d
ard
hou
si
L
isa
in d
g
n
ivi
le
Low
pr
ster
of
vel
no
eco
mi
c
Strength of so
cial capital
Household or
Community)
s
l lwe
bei
eing
(Individual,
atus
Low health st
area
one
-b
h well
Healt
Nation
ng
ng
Econ
omic
wellbein
SOURCE:
Kambon,
2005
g
Adeq
uate
level
s
of ho
usin
g
Measure of social vulnerability
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How do natural disasters
and climate change affect
women?
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Differential vulnerability of males and
females to natural disaster and climate
change impacts are reflective of their
socially constructed roles
Responses of males and females to disaster
differ
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Women’s roles result in …
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Limited access to resources including credit,
extension services, information and
technology
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Limited mobility – linked to burden of care
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Insecure land tenure
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Limited access to information, training and
capacity building initiatives
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Women’s roles result in …
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Do not receive adequate information on
hazards and risks and the links to natural
resource use and environmental sustainability
to the same extent as men
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Limited access to decision-making and
leadership positions
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Unequal value given to paid work by women
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Women make up a large number of the poor in
communities highly dependent on local natural
resources for livelihood
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Some key impacts …
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May require additional support eg. to respond to early
warnings due to limited mobility
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Higher mortality rates: 2004 Indian Tsunami female mortality
3 – 4 X that of men in some communities
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Inability or reduced ability to fulfill the role as providers of
food water and fuel eg. Drought
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Lose their jobs and have no means of securing compensation
where such recovery programmes exist: eg. Hurricane Ivan
Grenada 60 – 70% of workers in the informal sector were
women
Constrained potential for recovery in the aftermath of
disasters due in part to insecure land tenure
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Selected Examples:
Case Study
Grenada
Hurricane Ivan 2004
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Map Of Grenada, Carriacou and
Petit Martinique
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Hurricane Ivan 2004
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Impacted Grenada on September 7,
2004
Category 3 Hurricane
115 mile per hour winds
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Caribbean Case Study – Grenada,
Hurricane Ivan 2004
Pre Event Conditions:
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A relatively high elderly dependency ratio of 31.8
per cent; Elderly 61+, 26.5 per cent of population;
The poorest fifth of the population had reported
first childbirth between the ages of 10-19. Teenage
fertility rate 16.3 per cent;
Post-Event Impact:

Burden of care increased
Source: Grenada: A Gender Impact Assessment Of Hurricane Ivan
– Making the Invisible Visible, UNECLAC and UNIFEM 2005
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Caribbean Case Study –
Grenada, Hurricane Ivan 2004
Source: Grenada: A Gender Impact Assessment Of Hurricane Ivan
– Making the Invisible Visible, UNECLAC and UNIFEM 2005
Pre Event Conditions:
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Informal sector: 60 – 70% female
32% of the population unemployed
28.8% of households defined as poor and 10.3% of
households classified as indigent;
48% of women-headed households are among poor
women, 52 per cent of women head households;
Post Event Impacts:
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Direct impact on rural household income
Increase in women’s vulnerabilities related to access to
land and care services and income for themselves and
children
Women de-prioritizing the level of abuse in their lives –
to their needs for shelter, food and income
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Caribbean Case Study –
Grenada, Hurricane Ivan 2004
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Resilience of Women
– storytelling to children by women as
a coping mechanism
– One-pot cooks – community spirit
Source: Grenada: A Gender Impact Assessment Of Hurricane Ivan
– Making the Invisible Visible, UNECLAC and UNIFEM 2005
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Climate change adaptation specific
areas where gender specific
aspects should be addressed
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Energy
Water
Food security
Agriculture
Fisheries
Biodiversity and ecosystem services
Health
Industry
Human settlements
Disaster management
Conflict and security
SOURCE: Kambon, 2008
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Way Forward:
Platforms for Action
1.
POLICY, LEGAL FRAMEWORKS AND
PLANNING: Mainstreaming of gender perspectives
into national policies, plans, legislation and other
measures including those related to sustainable
development and climate change. Gender policy
integration into recovery planning
Caribbean Regional Strategy for Comprehensive
Disaster Management (CDM) – Views gender as a
critical cross cutting issue
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COMPREHENSIVE DISASTER MANAGEMENT
(CDM)
Programme Framework
GOAL
Regional Sustainable Development enhanced through CDM
PURPOSE
To strengthen regional, national and community level capacity for mitigation,
management, and coordinated response to natural and technological hazards, and the
effects of climate change.
OUTCOME 1:
Enhanced
institutional
support for CDM
Program
implementation at
national and
regional levels
OUTCOME 2:
An effective
mechanism and
programme for
management of
comprehensive
disaster
management
knowledge has
been established
OUTCOME 3:
Disaster Risk
Management has been
mainstreamed at
national levels and
incorporated into key
sectors of national
economies (including
tourism, health
agriculture and
nutrition)
OUTCOME 4:
Enhanced community
resilience in CDERA
states/ territories to
mitigate and respond
to the adverse effects
of climate change and
disasters
OUTPUTS
OUTPUTS
OUTPUTS
OUTPUTS
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Way Forward:
Platforms for Action
GENDER INFUSED INFORMATION FOR DECISION
MAKING
- Does the information which informs policy decisions
reflect a gender lens?
2.
3.
FINANCIAL
–
Flexibility of (eg. Post disaster) financing mechanisms to
reflect women’s needs and priorities
–
Gender analysis of all budget lines and financial
instruments for climate change essential to ensure
gender-sensitive investments on programmes for
adaptation, mitigation, technological transfer and
capacity building
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Way Forward:
Platforms for Action
4.
5.
GOVERNANCE: Participation of women in
decision making processes on natural disasters
and climate change – creation of opportunities;
inclusiveness
ENABLING ACTIVITES FOR PARTICIPATION
– Increasing the understanding of natural hazard
risk and the potential implications of climate
change
– Equal access for women to training, credit and
skills development programmes to ensure full
participation
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Way Forward
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View women as agents of change
(Indigenous) knowledge and expertise
can used assist in climate change
mitigation and adaptation strategies
and disaster risk reduction
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Thank You!
Questions?
Contact Information
Email: [email protected]
Telephone: 246-425-0386
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