Forest ecosystems are crucial to maintaining countless diverse but inter-connected systems that sustain people’s livelihoods, replenish water sources, and nurture biodiversity, which all combine to form important parts of a healthy environment. Deforestation has a direct negative impact on these dependent/connected systems because in addition to causing destruction of biodiversity, drying of water sources and soil erosion, it also directly impacts forest communities. This then creates new inequalities and exacerbates existing ones since people lose their primary livelihood means, their territories, as well as the socio-cultural activities deeply linked to their forests. Often, Indigenous and rural women are disproportionately affected by forest loss given their daily roles and practices that depend on healthy forest ecosystems. Ultimately this leads to a disproportionate increase in women’s burden of work, both reproductive and productive.
Women in all their diversity experience marginalization in multiple and intersecting ways, depending on their social status, ethnicity, age, class, sexual orientation and gender identity, amongst others. They face systemic barriers from patriarchal social norms that exclude them from decision-making to discriminatory laws and practices that prevent their access to land and forests.
Extractive activities supported by a capitalist economic system that privileges GDP growth and corporations over people’s welfare and healthy ecosystems leads to degradation of forests and the violation of women’s rights. Consequently, it is integral to analyse the gender-differentiated impacts of the drivers of deforestation and to promote women’s rights in forest conservation policies. GFC collaborates with local women’s groups and communities to research and understand the impacts of deforestation at the community level as well as documenting community-based and women-led initiatives and solutions to halt biodiversity loss. Capacity building from local to global levels on gender-responsive forest policies and women’s rights, decision-making and participation in forest conservation is also a key strategy of GFC.
Together with feminist movements and women’s networks at the international multi-lateral policy level, the Global Forest Coalition advocates for women’s rights and gender-responsive forest conservation policies. GFC works with the Women’s Major Group (WMG) on sustainable development as well as tracking developments at UN Environment processes. In addition, we are part of the Women and Gender Constituency at UNFCCC process and the CBD Women’s Caucus at the Convention on Biodiversity. Finally, GFC is a partner of the #Women2030 Programme, which works towards promoting gender-responsive implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals.
The #Women2030 programme is being implemented in 52 countries across different regions of the world. It is led by a coalition of 5 women and gender network organisations collaborating to realize the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in a gender-equitable and climate-just way.
We aim to integrate women’s rights and gender equality in all our other policies and GFC campaign activities
By Ruth Nyambura, Global Forest Coalition (GFC), Kenya On the 22nd of May each year the world celebrates the International Day of Biological Diversity and this year’s celebrations are significant in that the United Nations had dubbed 2020 a ‘super year’ for nature and biodiversity under the theme Our Solutions are in Nature. As part of this year’s celebrations, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) will be doing a virtual launch to highlight the key findings of its annual forestry …
As part of the #OurNatureIsNotYourSolution campaign we're launching this special edition of our magazine Forest Cover, written in collaboration with our member groups. Forest Cover highlights how hype around NBS…
The Women’s Major Group has published this powerful statement in response to the UN Environment Assembly (UNEA) President’s letter to UNEA’s Ministerial Declaration. The statement links the current coronovirus crisis…
Today is International Women’s Day and GFC is proud to be supporting the Women’s Global Strike. Many of our staff and member groups are joining the global strike to fight…
[Русская версия] Last week, Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) negotiations in Rome aimed to set out a global biodiversity framework for the coming decades. The sheer scale of the challenges…
by Simone Lovera, Global Forest Coalition Originally published in ECO Volume 61, Issue 1 The zero draft of the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework looks like a wonderful document at first…
This edition of Forest Cover focuses on the Belt Road Initiative (BRI). BRI is the Chinese government’s global development strategy to revitalise the old Silk Road, linking China with Asia…
On International Day of #RuralWomen we celebrated the crucial role that rural women and girls play in contributing to securing land rights, livelihoods and food sovereignty, as well as building…
The Global Forest Coalition is participating in the People’s Summit and Women’s Tent in Santiago de Chile over the next week with events on women’s rights and gender justice, unsustainable…
by Jeanette Sequeira, Juana Vera Delgado and Ruth Nyambura, Global Forest Coalition November 25th has been designated as the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women by the…
In this issue of Forest Cover we explore the full spectrum of bioenergy developments and use in West Africa and how they are impacting women and forests. The articles cover…
