Women’s role for development of better climate adaptation lauded

News Desk

ISLAMABAD: Women’s role is essential for the development of climate adaptation mechanisms and disaster risk resilience efforts as they bring unique perspectives, insights and challenges to the table which must be recognized and integrated into future policy making.

The Oxfam analysis showed that during the 2004 Tsunami, 70 per cent of the 230,000 people killed were women. Women in developing countries are particularly vulnerable to the impacts of climate disasters due to deep-rooted gender inequities that define the moral and social fabric of their societies.

Women and children are more likely than men to receive fatal casualties when disaster strikes like recent torrential rains and flash floods in the country. The government, with help from civil society, developed countries and international agencies, is working to ensure that timely relief efforts are put into action.

But with one-third of the country under water, it will be years before towns and cities pulverized by the floods can be completely rehabilitated and livelihoods restored.

Member of National Commission on the Women Rights Fazla Alayni said that the recent flooding was certainly unprecedented and the extremely consequential levels of humanitarian, infrastructural and economic destruction experienced are colossal.

The government and concerned departments working to support the flood victims, must account for the role and needs of women, she expressed.