International Legal Support of Gender Equality in the Context of Climate Change

Abstract

Introduction. Gender equality and human rights in the context of overcoming climate change is one of the key and debated topics at the annual UN Climate Conferences. The climate crisis creates social in justice between different population groups and has the greatest impact on the lives of vulnerable groups. Women, compared to men, are more vulnerable to the effects of climate change that limit their rights and opportunities. It is also worth noting that there is a widespread trend of feminization of poverty in the world, which means that poverty is increasing among women more than among men. In addition, women are under represented in international decision-making bodies related to climate change. This, above all, only confirms the lack of adequate support for womenʼs initiatives in climate decision-making. The aim of the article. The purpose of the research is to clarify the essence of gender equality and the peculiarities of its international legal support in the context of climate change based on the study of scientific works by reputable scholars and international legal acts. Results. Climate change is one of the major global problems of humanity, which is directly related to gender equality. As a result of climate change, women and men facenew challenges that affect the realization of their rights in the current environment.Women are more vulnerable to climate change and have fewer opportunities to adapt to it. The international community has faced a difficult task to eliminate the imbalance between the ability of women and men to realize equal rights in the context of climate change. Unfortunately, only a few of the international human rights instruments cover the issue of gender equality in the field of environmental protection, especially in the context of climate change. In addition, they donʼt enshrine the right to a safe, clean and sustainable environment, which is one of the main environmental human rights. The realization of this right is extremely important in the context of climate change. Conclusions. Thus, the issues of ensuring equal rights and opportunities for women and men in the context of climate change are not properly regulated ininternational law or in the national law of Ukraine. Certain aspects of gender equalityin the context of climate change are reflected in General Recommendation №37 to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women of 1979, the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change of 1992, the Beijing Declaration of 1995, the Paris Agreement of 2015, UN General Assembly Resolution 70/1«Transforming our world: The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development» and the Escazu Agreement of 2018. The solution to one of the global problems of humanity depends on the adoption of significant climate decisions that must take into account the gender principle. To date, the extent of womenʼs participation in shaping international climate policy is insufficient. That is why they must represent their governments internationally on equal terms with men, participate in the work of international organizations and in decision-making in the field of climate change. In turn, the needs of both women and men should be taken into account when developing strategic programs and measures to mitigate and adapt to climate change. As a future EU member, Ukraine is trying to integrate a gender component into environmental policy, especially in the area of climate change, by fulfilling its European integration commitments. Key words: gender equality, discrimination, climate change, human rights,sustainable development.