Rights and community natural resources: leveraging CEDAW to enhance climate justice for women in Africa

Abstract

Most women in the Global South, especially Sub-Saharan Africa face gender inequalities from climate change. Majority of them rely on community based natural resources for their livelihoods. Despite their vulnerability, they are often excluded from key decision-making processes and equitable access to natural resources. This study explores how the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) can be deliberately applied to advance climate justice for African women. The research analyses existing legal and policy frameworks used in the study of climate justice, the relevance of CEDAW and the impact of the CEDAW Committee’s General Recommendation No.37(2018) on gender related dimensions of disaster risk reduction in the context of climate change (CEDAW GR 37), using case examples from selected African countries. The study finds that although CEDAW does not explicitly mention climate change, CEDAW GR 37 offers prescriptive measures and proposes different obligations to states for addressing gendered environmental injustices. Nevertheless, implementation gaps persist due to weak domestic enforcement, socio cultural barriers, limited awareness and inadequate resources. The research suggests reform into CEDAW’s provisions to align with existing climate justice frameworks, integration in national climate and land governance frameworks, collaborating with African Union (AU) and acknowledgement of existing grassroots women’s movements. ii