KIGALI, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- Experts on climate change have voiced the need to ensure that gender issues in weather and climate adaptation strategies are given much attention in the greater Horn of Africa.
They said this while speaking at the 50th Greater Horn of Africa Climate Outlook Forum (GHACOF50) that opened Monday in the Rwandan, Capital Kigali.
The small central African country hosts the regional event from August 27 to 28, dubbed; "Promoting Gender Sensitive Weather and Climate Services".
It aims to promote deeper understanding of gender issues in weather and climate adaptation strategies and as well develop consensus regional seasonal climate outlook for the coming months of October to December in the region.
"In the greater Horn of Africa, gender responsive to climate resilience is still low. Little has been done to develop climate change programs that promote gender equality and build an overall resilience," said Guleid Artan, director of IGAD (Intergovernmental Authority on Development) Climate Prediction and Application Center (ICPAC).
He added that when adopting climate change adaptation actions, women are often unrecognized yet they are key to the management of natural resources and to promoting sustainable practices.
The two-day meeting has brought together climate scientists, researchers, decision-makers and users from key socio-economic sectors, governmental and non-governmental organizations, development partners and the civil society among other stakeholders.
The forum is expected to formulate mitigation strategies to the implications of consensus regional climate outlook on the key socio-economic sectors in the region and understand the gender-specific impacts of climate, according to organizers.
"Women are often more exposed to the risks of extreme weather and climate change due to less access weather and climate information compared to men," said Assia Alexieva, monitoring and Eealuation officer at the World Meteorology Organization (WMO).
She noted that gender equality is key when it comes to climate change adaptation measures, adding better access to weather-related information and knowledge translates into a better productivity and a better life.
The regional forum will raise awareness and showcase good practices and concrete actions to empower women to produce and use weather and climate services.
Addressing participants, Vincent Biruta, Rwandan minister of environment, said that climate and weather predictions are a concern for all irrespective of gender.
"I encourage African leaders and policy makers to explore ways to improve the quality, packaging and delivery of climate information so that it is gender sensitive and suits the needs of diverse users," he said.
The meeting was organized by the IGAD ICPAC in collaboration with the WMO and the National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHSs).
IGAD is an eight-country trade bloc in Africa. It includes governments from the Horn of Africa, Nile Valley and the Great Lakes region.
