Women, the environment and sustainability

Join us to look at the impact climate change is having on women, and innovative solutions being generated and researched into resolving this issue.

We will be joined by the leadership team of UN Women UK from Baroness Verma, Chair of the Board and Claire Barnett, Executive Director, representatives from Eco-Sikh, Dr Husna Ahmad OBE, Chief Executive - Global One 2015, Honorary Fellow, Edward Cadbury Centre and our own Professor Aleks Cavoski presenting her research on gender perspectives in environmental and climate policies. 

Programme 

Welcome and Introduction

Baroness Verma, Chair of the Board, UN Women UK 

The intersection between gender equality and climate action

Claire Barnett, Executive Director, UN Women UK

Claire will talk on how gender equality is our most powerful lever to achieve climate action - and about the global programmes UN Women are involved in. 

An evolving understanding of gender perspectives in environmental and climate policies

Professor Aleks Cavoksi

Until recently gender perspectives were not part of environmental and climate discourse and thus did not find its place in environmental and climate laws. Aleks will explore a gradual shift towards better integration of gender perspectives in environmental and climate policies.

Faith based motivations for women pursuing careers and voluntary work in sustainability/the environment

Eco-Sikh - Amandeep Kaur Maan Co-founder EcoSikhUK

With equality and social justice being at the core of the Sikh faith there is much to explore around practical application of teachings in all of the holy scriptures and how this relates to climate change.  I will be challenging south asian stereotypes regarding career paths and discussing the rich heritage of my ancestry where empowered women are drivers of positive change inside and outside of their homes. 

The role of Muslim women in the Environmental sphere

Dr Husna Ahmad OBE, Chief Executive - Global One 2015 and Honorary Fellow, Edward Cadbury Centre

Exploring the challenges that Muslim women encounter due to climate change and how their faith makes them enablers for positive change.

Concluding remarks

Contributor information

UN Women UK is a global organisation working to make gender equality a reality in every way: from grassroots programmes with the most vulnerable women and girls, to changing attitudes, and helping governments design gender-equal policy.

Eco-Sikh UK is a unified inter-faith response to help combat climate change, global warming and bio-diversity loss. 

Amandeep Kaur Maan is Co-founder of EcoSikhUK and has a background in International Business and Environmental Management.  She represents the organisation as Co-Commissioner on the Yorkshire and Humber Climate Commission and is Co-Chair of the Communities and Engagement Panel. At  COP26 in Glasgow she was part of an interfaith panel discussion: Faiths together for carbon neutral cities hosted by Faith for the Climate.  

Professor Aleksandra Cavoski’s research interests are in the field of environmental law and EU law, including certain aspects of public international law. Her research agenda is inter-disciplinary and explores the intersection of law and other disciplines, in particular politics, science, public policy and language. Aleksandra is the College of Arts and Law Director of Global Engagement. She is also one of the legislation and policy editors of Environmental Law Review. Aleksandra Cavoski is also a part of the Birmingham Plastics Network, an interdisciplinary team of more than 40 academics working together to shape the fate and sustainable future of plastics.  This unique team brings together chemists, environmental scientists, engineers, philosophers, linguists, economists, artists, writers, lawyers, and experts in many other fields, to holistically address the global plastics problem.

Dr Husna Ahmad OBE is the CEO of Global One 2015 which is a faith based International NGO focussed on women. With a PhD in International Environmental Law from the School of Oriental and African Studies, [SOAS] London University, and an honorary fellow of the Edward Cadbury Centre for the Public understanding of Religion, Birmingham University. Dr Ahmad is the former Group CEO of Faith Regen Foundation which is a multi-faith UK charity. She is currently a Board member of Faith for the Climate, Faith In Water, and Palmers Green Mosque (the MCEC). She is also a member of the Women’s Faith Forum UK; and Executive committee member of Barnet Faith Forum. She is a member of the Multi faith Advisory Council to the UN Inter-agency Task Force on Religion and Development. Dr Ahmad sits on the Steering Committee of The World Bank’s Moral Imperative Initiative. She is an author and thought leader who has presented many papers internationally focusing particularly on faith and the environment.

 She is the Secretary General of the World Muslim Leadership Forum and the Coordinator for the Alliance of NGOs and CSOs for South-South Cooperation [ ANSSC] which works in collaboration with the UN office of South South Cooperation.  She was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the New Year’s Honours list in 2010 for her services to disadvantaged people for work promoting social justice with disadvantaged communities. She is a member of the Advisory Board of the Faith Leaders Training Initiative under the UK Minister of Housing, Communities and Local Government [MHCLG].