Report from Esther Penunia attending the COP 16 in Cancun
She attended the side event "Strategy Session: developing a road map for the integration of gender and women in REDD+", organized by WOCAN, WEDO and IUCN.
The event provided a space for invited leaders and experts of diverse sectors to meet to devise a roadmap to address the gaps, in both advocacy and implementation, that have marginalized women and gender issues from national and global financing and implementation plans regarding REDD+. Around 15 participants from INGOs, Indigenous People's organizations, governments, women's forest users groups, carbon project developers, academic institutions, donors and experts in safeguards, land rights and tenure participated in this "by invitation only" session.
The participants acknowledged that while many advocacy -based women's organizations are against REDD+, it is a program that is currently being /potentially will be implemented in many countries Unfortunately, many of the REDD+ programs need better bottom-up processes, more involvement with women especially in governance structures .
During the session, Esther informed to the group the following: "we recognize that reforestration, particularly if community based and managed, can provide tremendous support to developing countries' mitigation and adaptation effort; that we have some members who are into community-based reforestration and agro-forestry management. An important strategy to ensure bottom -up processes are the conduct of consultations and planning activities with women's organizations from local, national and regional levels and building their advocacy skills on the REDD that we want."
