As part of the Women Forum at CBD COP16 (Cali, Colombia – October 2024), the CBD Women’s Caucus, the IUCN Human Rights and Conservation Centre, and the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) hosted the session “Women and girls’ rights and the Global Biodiversity Framework”.
This session brought together UN human rights experts, women environmental human rights defenders, government representatives, and other key stakeholders to explore the intersections between women and girls’ rights and the implementation of the Global Biodiversity Framework, emphasising the crucial role of women in protecting biodiversity and the systemic barriers they face.
Key insights from the panel
Ms. Ilze Brands Kehris, UN Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights, whose statement was delivered on her behalf by Ms. Nela Cernota, Associate Human Rights Officer at OHCHR, underscored the centrality of women’s and girls’ human rights in achieving sustainable outcomes. She highlighted the Gender Plan of Action and the GBF’s Section C, including a human rights-based approach, and Targets 22 and 23 as key elements for advancing gender-responsive biodiversity action.
She emphasised the need to ensure that biodiversity policies respected, protected and fulfilled women’s rights, including lands, resources, and participation in decision-making. Lastly, Ms. Brands Kehris, called for ensuring that sufficient resources are made available and accessible for advancing gender-responsive biodiversity action and that all biodiversity-related financial flows are consistent with human rights.
Ms. Nury Yagari, Indigenous Colombian Women environmental human rights defender, shared a powerful testimony while detailing the pervasive violence, displacement, and poverty that often accompany efforts to protect biodiversity.
“Extreme poverty exacerbates the risks faced by women defenders, forcing them to leave their homes and disrupt their lives,” Ms. Yagari explained. She called attention to the alarming rates of violence against defenders, noting that Colombia remains one of the most dangerous countries for environmental advocates.
Ms. Yagari’s reflections highlighted the critical role of the Escazú Agreement in safeguarding women environmental defenders’ rights. “This agreement must be implemented with urgency, ensuring that mechanisms to protect women defenders are effective and accessible,” she stressed.
Ms. Uslaini, Head of Division at Walhi Indonesia, provided a lens into the struggles of women defenders in Indonesia, where land grabbing, deforestation, and extractive industries threaten both biodiversity and human rights. She called for direct and flexible funding mechanisms that prioritise the safety and empowerment of women on the frontlines of biodiversity protection. While Indonesia has endorsed the GBF, as Ms. Usalaini explained, implementation remains insufficient due to policies like the Omnibus Law, which prioritize economic growth over environmental protection. This disconnect between government and business policies and biodiversity goals has severe consequences for women and girls, who play pivotal roles in ensuring family well-being through access to food, water, and medicine.
Ms. Elisa Morgera, UN Special Rapporteur on Climate Change and Human Rights, provided a compelling analysis of the links between biodiversity, climate change, and human rights. She warned against climate measures that fail to consider biodiversity, stating, “Every time we neglect biodiversity in climate policies, we create new human rights violations, particularly for women and girls.”
Ms. Morgera called for the integration of women’s unique knowledge into decision-making processes. “Women’s experiences and contributions must shape policies, from environmental impact assessments to governance structures,” she asserted. She also emphasised the need for international frameworks to provide targeted funding for women-led initiatives and ensure data collection disaggregated by gender to address systemic inequities.
A call to action
As the session concluded, Ms. Bibiana Aido Almagro, UN Women Representative in Colombia, issued a powerful reminder: “The protection of women’s rights is not just a good practice; it is an obligation.” She called for strengthened collaboration, funding, and accountability to ensure that commitments to gender justice and biodiversity policy translate into transformative action.
The voices of women defenders echoed throughout the session, urging immediate action to address the systemic inequities and threats they face. “Defending biodiversity should not cost women their lives,” Ms. Yagari replicated, highlighting the urgency of creating safe spaces for environmental advocates.
Key take aways
- Centering women and girls’ rights in biodiversity policy and action: The GBF’ success depends on making human rights, including gender equality central to its implementation. This includes ensuring women’s equitable access to land, resources, and decision-making processes.
- Protecting environmental human rights defenders: Governments and international bodies must prioritise the safety of all environmental human rights defenders, in particular women and girls due the extra layers of violence they faced, especially those in high-risk regions. The Escazú Agreement must be duly implemented to provide meaningful protection.
- Inclusive governance and participation: Biodiversity policies must reflect the views of women and communities in vulnerable situations, and include explicit references to their rights, recognizing their indispensable role in conservation and sustainable development.
- Direct, flexible and sustained financing: Funding mechanisms must be restructured to ensure that resources reach grassroots initiatives led by women, Indigenous Peoples, and local communities.
- Integrating climate and biodiversity policies: Holistic approaches that align all environmental policy and action at all levels are essential to preventing maladaptation and advancing equitable solutions.
Views from the floor
Several audience members underscored the importance of remembering and honoring the contributions and sacrifices of women defenders. “We must remember the memories of the women who gave their lives protecting biodiversity and human rights,” one participant emphasised, drawing attention to the ongoing violence against defenders.
Another attendee urged international bodies to address systemic gaps in representation, noting, “The fight for gender equality must include more women’s voices at every level of decision-making.” These interventions highlighted the collective urgency to transform words into action and to ensure that women’s experiences and knowledge remain central to biodiversity and human rights efforts.
