The UN mandated-Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) is the blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all. They address the global challenges we face, including poverty, inequality, climate change, environmental degradation, peace and justice, and also the terrible ravages of the pandemic raging all around us. “Limited gains in gender equality and women’s rights made over the decades are in danger of being rolled back due to the COVID-19 pandemic,” the UN Secretary-General António Guterres said in April 2020, urging governments to put women and girls at the centre of their recovery efforts.

Interestingly, however, research shows that though women are hardest hit during times of natural disasters and other calamities due to their vulnerability caused by the discriminatory practices and social norms yet their involvement often prove to be the backbone of recovery and resilience of the entire community. The most commonly quoted definition of sustainable development is that of the World Commission on Environment and Development, or the Bruntland report. However, there are shared themes among the various definitions, including economic, environmental and social rights of the present and future generations.

 Translating definitions into practice can prove difficult, especially with competing demands and tradeoffs. The ‘green economy’ terminology has been introduced by international organisations to place emphasis on the need to transform the economy in order to move towards sustainable development; the green economy is defined by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) as one that results in improved human well-being and social equity, while significantly reducing environmental risks and ecological scarcities. The present practice of becoming a more sustainable business or organization tends to focus on the area of sustainable production more than that of sustainable consumption practices. So the focus ranges from the producer to the product or service offered to leave the end-user out of the bargain. What is also often missing is positive relations with all stakeholders connected to and impacted by the offer.

It is in this context that Climate Action and its cross-cutting work on gender empowerment and social justice can prove to be a major game-changer, beyond doubt. Gender equality is a goal in its own right but also a key factor for sustainable economic growth, social development, and environmental sustainability.

The aim is to increase understanding of the role of women in maintaining the three pillars – economic, social, and environmental – of sustainable development. Sustainable development can only be achieved through long-term investments in economic, human, and environmental capital. At present, the female half of the world’s human capital is undervalued and underutilised the world over. As a group, women – and their potential contributions to economic advances, social progress, and environmental protection – have been marginalised.

Better use of the world’s women population could increase economic growth, reduce poverty, enhance societal well-being and help ensure sustainable development in all countries, as per the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) 2008 report on gender and sustainable development: Maximising the economic, social and environmental role of women.

Women as agents of change

The potential of women as agents of change for climate mitigation and adaptation remain untapped. In terms of economic and social participation, their potential contribution to climate mitigation by being part of the economic cycle is not sufficiently exploited. There are, however, several ways of promoting women’s economic and socio-cultural participation while also counteracting climate change.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), the disadvantaged population groups are disproportionately more exposed to environmental risk factors. Low income and poverty are the strongest determinants of increased risk. Current evidence on the impact of social factors and gender inequality on an increase in environmental risk has been researched and established.

Women are at times unable to voice their specific requirements even though the impact of climate change affects women and men differently. They are also denied full access to loans, education, and information, especially in developing nations.

One important empowerment tool can be providing access to education, training, and upgrading skills. In the context of reversing the harmful impacts of climate change, measures designed for training and continuing education could be particularly significant in the following areas:

• Awareness of the causes and the consequences of climate change in order to sensitize women to the dangers of climate change and to the possible requirements/mechanisms of adaptation

• Awareness of existing mitigation and adaptation programmes in which women can be involved and from which they can benefit

• Training programmes on adaptation measures with a special focus on the needs of women

• Training programmes on the use of (new) technologies in waste recycling

The Rio+20 UN Conference on Sustainable Development, 2012, recognizes that poverty eradication, changing unsustainable and promoting sustainable patterns of consumption and production and protecting and managing the natural resource base of economic and social development are the overarching objectives of and essential requirements for sustainable development.

The target of sustainable business is to shift the focus from economic and physical objectives to social and community concerns. Hence, social capital performs an important part in sustainability designs. Social value is related to poverty, equity, and redistribution of wealth, thereby connecting the environmental value through the economic method.

The realization of sustainability is based on social consensus building. As suggested by Campbell and Connelly, the conflict and competition of sustainability values require consensus and collaboration among the values. A great number of obstacles arise for consensus-building due to the stance of stakeholders, the difference of information and knowledge, and the lack of mutual understanding.

Through the interventions mentioned previously the scope of understanding gendered behaviours will increase which has implications for policy and capacity building in terms of greening the women-led small business sector. It also has implications for women empowerment, business innovation, growing the green marketplace, and progressing towards a sustainable post-carbon future which is the urgent need of the hour.

(The writer, a social entrepreneur who works on gender, entrepreneurship, and sustainable development sectors, is a US State Department alumni. She has more than 20 years experience of working with Chambers of Commerce, policymakers, governments, NGOs, and international organizations in Asia, USA and Europe. The views expressed are personal. She can be contacted at sjm@optimasolutionsconsulting.com)

References:

https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/sustainable-development-goals/

https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/gender-equality/

Waite, Marilyn SURF Framework for a Sustainable Economy published in the Journal of Management and Sustainability; Vol. 3, No. 4; 2013

Lohani, Meenakshi & Aburaida, Loai. (2017). Women empowerment: A key to sustainable development. The Social ION. 6. 26. 10.5958/2456-7523.2017.00006.4.

Kim Donghyun and Lim Up Social Enterprise as a Catalyst for Sustainable Local and Regional Development; Published: 12 August 2017 Sustainability 2017; www.mdpi.com/journal/sustainability