The verdict

Since Saturday morning, there has been much discussion of the outcome (or rather lack of outcome) of the negotiations in Copenhagen. Yet the intervention made by Ulrike Roehr from LIFE e.V. on Friday anticipated the final result, and summarises the frustrations we have felt over the last two weeks. Here it is:

Your Excellencies, distinguished delegates, dear colleagues and friends inside and outside Bella Center.

It is our specific role as Women and Gender civil society organizations to work towards the integration of gender perspectives in all aspects of climate policy.

We started from zero: In the past, the gender dimension was completely absent. But as we strengthen our engagement with the UNFCCC, encouraged by the support from some governments, several references to women and to gender have been incorporated in the draft text.

However, the gender aspects in the current text are still weak. And, even more importantly, gender considerations in the decisions can only be as good as the outcomes of this meeting overall. After weeks and weeks of negotiations, there are still no firm and worthwhile commitments on the table. Today, developed countries are still not committing themselves on the real solutions. It is also appalling and alarming that civil society has been effectively excluded from its already marginal participation.

During the last two days, we have heard many eloquent speeches. Yet what we urgently need, is action. Not a political declaration, but commitments. Not “continued high growth” but fundamental changes of how we live and consume in industrialized countries and how we share the Earth´s resources nationally and globally. Not lukewarm reduction goals but deep emission cuts and significant public funding that can really bail us out from this climate crisis.

We believe that the climate crisis is a mere symptom of a larger and long standing human crisis. There are no instant solutions. We need to engage by immediately starting a collective learning process. We need radical changes, and we need to make them together.

Give us Hope – Hagen! Give us hope!