Slow violence, gender and climate agency in times of ‘polycrisis’.

Abstract

The sixty-sixth session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women, concluded in March 2022, has drawn the international community's attention to the need to adopt a gender perspective on issues related to climate change. Addressing this topic has become increasingly urgent in recent years, mainly because new global crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic, wars, economic crisis, and climate change, are produced and mediated by existing gender inequalities and persistent discriminatory norms. This article, inspired by the notion of ‘polycrisis’ adopted in the 1990s by the philosopher Morin, aims to highlight the role that international law, in particular human rights law, is called to assume to mediate such complexity. This has given impetus to the paradigm shift, invoked by the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women in February 2023, necessary to ensure inclusive female participation and representation. In this regard, the article explores the ongoing efforts being made at European level to address the gender–climate nexus in the emerging normative frameworks on climate action.

About the author

Prof Elisa Fornalé, Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) Professor at the World Trade Institute (WTI), University of Bern

About the journal

The Revista General de Derecho Europeo (RGDE) is a scientific journal devoted to the study of European integration from a legal perspective. It is available on the legal portal www.iustel.com. It has been publishing academic contributions since May 2003.