SPEECH BY ULLA TØRNÆS, MINISTER FOR DEVELOPMENT COOPERATION AT SEMINAR ON CLIMATE CHANGE AND POPULATION DYNAMICS

Minister, ladies and gentlemen,

It is a great pleasure to welcome you all to this seminar on climate change, population dynamics and gender. We are now close to COP15 (The Conference on Climate Change) and we fully see the need of addressing the complex issues involved. By bringing together this panel today of policymakers and experts we can put spotlight on an important aspect of the debate. Namely the human and gender dimensions of the challenges we face due to changes in the climate.

Climate change is much more than an issue of carbon emissions. It is also an issue of population dynamics, poverty and gender equality. Today UNFPA will launch their report “State of World Population”. The report states that the world population continues to grow dramatically. This in itself puts pressure on food security, clean water, health and education. Climate change adds to this pressure and developing countries will face the worst effects of a changing climate.

The report from UNFPA shows that to mitigate the impact of climate change we have to look at population growth – the question is how? In my view the key is to accelerate access to modern contraception and family planning and to empower women.

This year we celebrate the 15th anniversary of the International Conference on Population and Development. In Cairo in 1994 governments agreed that human rights and gender equality should guide population and development related programmes. A core element of sustainability is the right of women and couples to determine the number and spacing of their children. This means choices for women and girls, allowing them to fully participate in their societies and contribute to economic growth and development. Denmark is a strong supporter of the Cairo Programme of Action and a rights-based approach – it is about individual choice and individual rights.

More than 200 million women in the developing world do not have this choice. These women would like to prevent or delay childbearing, but do not have access to modern contraception. As a result 76 million unintended pregnancies occur each year.

It is essential to address these unmet needs as an urgent development priority.
Denmark has for many years now been a strong advocate for a woman’s right to decide how many children she wants and when she wants them. Improvement of women’s right to choose will be crucial in stabilizing population growth, sustaining development, and reducing poverty.

The report of UNFPA illustrates how women in developing countries are among the most vulnerable to climate change. Climate change will affect her income earning opportunities and challenge her ability to care for her children’s nutrition, health and education.

Experience shows that often women are in the best position to create a change towards a more climate resilient society. These adaptive capabilities are crucial for the climate efforts. So when we talk about climate change the issue of empowerment of women and gender equality is crucial.

I strongly believe that women are important drivers of change in the development process, and I look forward to this afternoon’s discussions where we will explore the linkages between climate change, population dynamics and gender equality.

Thank you.