By Rachel Kakraba
Dr Maliha Khan, CEO of Women Deliver, has described the climate crisis as a gendered issue that disproportionately affects girls, noting that they contribute the least to the problem.
“Girls disproportionately bear the burden of the climate crisis, but are among those who contribute the least to it. It is a very gendered issue,” she said.
Addressing participants at the ongoing Women Deliver Conference in Narrm, Melbourne, Australia, she noted that the crisis has had a significant negative impact on global health, disproportionately affecting low- and middle-income countries, particularly in Africa and South Asia.
“This is a crisis that is really affecting low- and middle-income countries, particularly in Africa and South Asia, where we have seen some of the most dramatic setbacks,” she said.
“Global health is one of the sectors most affected, which means that direct service provision has been greatly impacted. Services such as HIV and AIDS treatment, as well as sexual and reproductive health and rights, have been significantly affected,” Dr Khan added.
Dr Khan expressed hope that the launch of the Melbourne Declaration for Gender Equality, as part of the conference, would lead to collective action and a shared vision for gender equality rooted in care, solidarity and justice. She said the declaration is the culmination of months of work aimed not only at its launch but at sustaining the process.
“We have conducted over 35 consultations across every continent, with more than 650 people formally participating. It is going to be a powerful movement for the sector and could, in the coming years, transform how we think about and advance gender equality,” she said.
Julia Gillard AC, the 27th Prime Minister of Australia and the first and only woman to serve in that role, expressed appreciation to organisers for hosting the conference in the Oceanic Pacific region, particularly in Australia.
“I am pleased and proud that Women Deliver has come to Australia, and for the first time the conference is marshalling global attention on the women of the Pacific and First Nations women of Australia,” she said.
She added: “We must push back and find the courage to take bold steps. We must not allow the next five, 10 or 20 years to entrench a rollback of rights.”
This year’s Women Deliver Conference, which opened in Narrm, Melbourne, Australia, from April 27 to 30, has brought together political leaders, activists, advocates, funders, journalists and young people from across the globe to discuss gender equality.
It comes at a time of rising conflict, shrinking civic space, mounting pressure on women’s rights and growing questions about whether current systems are serving the people they are meant to support. More than 5,000 delegates from over 185 countries are participating to build solidarity and shape bold feminist futures.
