TRANSCRIPT
Last month, it was revealed that the 2024 Conference of Parties Climate change summit, COP29, is to be hosted by Azerbaijan.
The decision drew wide criticism from climate activists, who pointed out Azerbaijan's entrenched reliance on fossil fuel industries and deep commitments to expanding gas projects.
In January, Azerbaijan announced its 28 member COP29 organizing committee - and not one woman was in the lineup.
Robyn Eckersley is a political scientist and a Professor of Social Sciences with a focus on global environmental politics and governance.
She told SBS that there are no binding regulations or codes attached to the summit leadership that would require the inclusion of women in decision making.
" Well it's clearly important because a lot of women, particularly in developing countries are on the front line of climate change. So they have a strong and noble interest in stopping climate change and and some of them are pretty feisty. But again, it always depends on the political culture of the state that's hosting. And, of course, there's always lots of NGOs at the COP. And you've seen resolutions or provisions on the importance of women and diversity. In all the... typically they turn up in the preambles of the COPs, where they kind of try and pacify the advocates by giving a nod, but it's not usually an operative provision."
The role of women in climate leadership has been recognised at previous summits as vital - with research showing that countries with women in leadership positions are more likely to ratify international environmental treaties.
Of the past twenty-nine COP summits, twenty-four of the presidents appointed have been men.
In 2023, 63 per cent of the organising committee for the COP28 summit in the United Arab Emirates were women.
Evidence also shows that women in low and middle income countries are disproportionately impacted by climate change.
Plan International is a development charity working for the advancement of children’s rights and equality for girls.
Their deputy C-E-O, Hayley Cull told SBS that the exclusion of women from climate negotiations is a missed opportunity.
["Womn and girls have a huge role to play and are playing a really important role in helping to tackle the climate crisis already. And so when we exclude their voices and their ideas from these major global summits where big decisions are made and big investments are made, then we miss out on a huge opportunity to capitalize on their intelligence and on their creativity on their, on their capability to really help drive change. "
Ms Cull says that the impacts of climate change on women and girls can't be ignored when looking at long term solutions.
"The impact of climate change on women and girls is disproportionate. We know that for so many girls that climate change can mean the end of their education. They are pulled out of school because of disasters or because of resource scarcity and extra burden in the home. We know that when food becomes scarce as a result of climate impacts, girls are quite often the last to eat and they'll eat less than than others in the family. We know that when climate change and climate related disasters strike or when resources are scarce, things like gender based violence and child marriage go up quite significantly. So when it comes to those impacts of climate change girls really do feel the impact worse."
SHE Changes Climate is a global organisation campaigning for the equal inclusion of women in top levels of climate negotiations.
The organisation says the appointment of 28 men to the organising committee is a regressive step and that there is no time to go back on previous commitments.
The organisation spoke to a few attendees at last year's COP28 summit about their thoughts on the issue.
“Well yesterday I attended one high stake, like speech deliveries of all the heads of the states and there were only two women representatives as the head of states and that was really sad from me. I thought that this year it was gonna be changed, that there would be more gender equality that we could see but sadly it's not and it's just disappointing to see it happening every year." SECOND SPEAKER: "The absence of women from positions of leadership and climate decision making not only perpetuates the exclusion and oppression of women. It leaves and endangers the international community." THIRD SPEAKER "For them to be given a chance to share their story, to lead decision making, for me that is very important to give chances to women to lead decision making."
Azerbaijan has faced criticism in the past over its targeting of activists and critics of the government, concerns over press freedom and democracy are a recurring smudge on the reputation of President Ilham Aliyev's leadership.
Zhala Bayramova is a human rights lawyer in Azerbaijan and is the daughter of anti-corruption researcher Gubad Ibadoghlu, who was jailed in Azerbaijan after criticizing the country's oil and gas industry.
Ms Bayramova spoke out recently about her father's research and arrest.
"And he researched how EU oil and gas contract has been affecting us in Azerbaijan, and has been affecting the sanctions against Russia and how Azerbaijan actually doesn't have enough oil and especially gas to supply to EU. And is getting it from Russia and has been selling it to EU. On 19 October, Eurasian just published an article that Azerbaijan is refining 200,000 barrels of oil every single day. And now this information are quite hidden, it's really hard to reach them, because we don't really have people in civil society during all this investigation. The country is very very scary place. "
Members of the Azerbaijan Cabinet make up nearly half of the COP29 organising committee and several members have close ties to the oil and gas industry in Azerbaijan.
Among those criticising Azerbaijan's lineup was former Prime Minister of Australia Julia Gillard who made a statement encouraging Azerbaijan “to reconsider” its decision.
Professor Robyn Eckersley says through gaining hosting rights, petro states like Azerbaijan gain significant negotiating powers at the summit.
"They're pushing gas as transitional, they're pushing transitional fuels, which is code for gas. They're boosting their green credentials, but they're also pushing their interest as a Petro state. But the problem is, this is the nature of multilateralism, every state has a veto. So Petro states would have done that anyway, it's just that when they're hosting, they're in a much more privileged position to shape the negotiations. "
Professor Eckersley says that while the lack of women in this year's line-up is disappointing, extraordinary women in the past have proven that women do make a substantial difference.
"We have had Christine Figueres who was UN, was the secretary general of the UNFCCC for some time, and she was quite extraordinary. And we've certainly seen some fantastic leading negotiators in the French team as well. The French Foreign Minister even had her appendix out during the Paris negotiation and she was seen back back at work immediately after the operation on a scooter. She couldn't walk and she was absolutely feisty so they've been some great women does make a difference. It's just really unfortunate that this particular country doesn't have that particular political culture. "
