On 15-19 October 2012, ICIMOD organized the Bhutan+10, an international conference on ‘Gender and Sustainable Mountain Development in a Changing World’, in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture and Forests (MoAF) and the National Commission for Women and Children (NCWS), Bhutan.
Jeannette and Dibya Gurung, WOCAN Nepal coordinator, participated in various panels and discussion at the five day event. Jeannette was on the plenary session on ‘Gender Transformative Change’, chaired by Dr, Devaki Jain, Founder of DAWN, India. Jeannette was also on the plenary session on ‘Ecosystems and Gender’ panel, chaired by Dr Eklabya Sharma, ICIMOD, where she explained, ‘We must recognize women’s contribution to good practices in natural resource management, reach out with extension services to them, and find innovative ways to compensate them for their roles in sustaining ecosystem services’.
Dibya presented on the Gender and REDD panel, her presentation was titled ‘Women’s Leadership and Climate Change – Why the Need? Experience from Nepal’.
The conference ended with the announcement of an important new global network on Women, Gender, Environment and Mountains (WGEM) which will ensure that researchers, practitioners, policy makers, and grassroots women are connected on a regular basis, both virtually and through regular face-to-face meetings. A time capsule was prepared containing the participants’ hopes and wishes, only to be opened after a decade.
The Bhutan+10 conference declaration, launched by Lyonpo Thakur S. Powdyel calls for better integration of mountain perspectives in all sectors and scales of international development, sufficient human and financial resources for gender analysis and transformative change, affirmative action, recognition of women and men as active players on a level playing field, and the promotion of wellbeing and happiness in mountain countries.