Recognizing and considering intersectionality is a core component of advancing policy and programming that is human rights-based and equitable. A project should strive to ensure understanding of intersectional identities individuals or communities may have, identifying gaps within groups that might face exclusion regarding specific project activities beyond gender, such as: age (young people or elderly), Indigenous Peoples, persons with disabilities, etc.

Colleagues in another project focused on SIDS and waste management (PacWastePlus Project) developed a useful Guide for Pacific Decision Makers on how to Consider Gender Equality, Disability, and Social Inclusion (GEDSI) Factors, especially in Waste Management Sustainable Financing.

The publication was based on an analysis that indicates key interventions in a roadmap for assisting decision makers in the Pacific during the design, consultation, implementation, and monitoring of a Waste Management Sustainable Financing Scheme to ensure intersectional gender equality and social equity implications are identified and appropriately addressed.

If you are looking for hints on how to mainstream intersectional gender and social equity aspects during different components of your project, and especially in financing waste management, look no further than this resource from SPREP colleagues.

Dear all,
There will be a very interesting side event on gender and chemicals and waste policies at the BRS COP, in Geneva and online:

Side Event on Gender and Chemicals taking place next week at the BRS CoP 2023, Thursday 11th, 6.15 – 7.45 pm

The event will present good practices and lessons learned on integrating gender-equality into chemicals and waste policies and women’s leadership in the transition to a circular economy where waste is avoided and/or safely reused and recycled, with a specific focus on plastic waste, electronic waste and chemicals listed under the BRS conventions. Case studies will be shared from East Africa (Kenya) and North Africa (Tunisia).

The event has a hybrid format, the webex link is: https://unep-brs.webex.com/unep-brs/j.php?MTID=me87c4eb3861548c51610ab4…

Recently I shared a link to a resource on Feminist Perspectives for a Gender-Just approach to combatting Global Plastic Pollution. Understanding the differentiated issues and impacts is critical to fight plastic pollution, especially the health consequences facing women, men, children, and also marginalized and frontline communities of the plastic pollution crisis.

A new digital toolkit is available on the Health and Toxics of Plastics in Our Bodies. The interactive and user-friendly toolkit provides key messages and resources to help forge a deeper understanding of the complexities of plastic pollution and interactions with human health.

We have the knowledge, technology and resources to fight the plastic pollution crisis but need to advocate together and act now to hold corporations and countries accountable for the profound harms to health rights, human rights, ecosystems, and economies arising from the production, deployment, and disposal of plastics. This should be top of mind as we enter BRS and discuss further forever chemicals present in so many plastics, but also in light of continuing conversations for the Global Plastics Treaty this year.
Are there other resources you are using to learn more about the differentiated issues and impacts people all over the world are facing related to plastic pollution? Please share with us!

Is there a link with gender inequality and plastic pollution? Absolutely.

As people become increasingly aware of the destructive consequences of plastic waste on our planet and human health it is important to consider and respond to who is impacted.

Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung recently released "Combatting Global Plastic Pollution: Feminist Perspectives for a Gender-Just Approach". The brief provides a critical look at the entire plastics cycle detailing gender-specific experiences and exposures at every stage. You’re guaranteed to learn something new in this quick read!

Tomorrow is world health day.

The plastic crisis is expanding and evolving every day. Scientific evidence continues to expose the wider and wider impact plastic pollution has on our environment, ecosystems, animals and us.
New facets of the plastic crisis and how environmental toxins from the plastic life cycle affect human health and the environment is increasing. Scientists have now learned that micro-and nanoplastics can be transported worldwide via the atmosphere. Once airborne, these plastic particles can enter our bodies with every breath we take.

A new brief from the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) shares a global analysis on the impacts of micro and nano plastics moving through the air and entering the human body via inhalation. The brief highlights the long-range transport of particulates but also close sources, and indoor concentration of plastic particles that can be particularly harmful from packaging, clothing, and carpets to name a few.

Understanding the multifaceted environmental and health risks is imperative for the ISLANDS Programme, to support knowledge sharing and ensure social equity in knowing about, and acting on making changes through individual behavioral change, but also policy, programming and real action. Does anyone in the group have new data, or research connecting human health and the hazardous toxins from the plastic crisis to share localized to your region or country? Let us know!
Take a moment, in recognition of World Health Day to read the brief, and share this crucial evidence with a colleague to expand the reach of these key issues and risks to our planetary and human health, and our collective well-being.

What does it mean to accelerate action on women's and marginalized groups' empowerment through technological innovation in waste management? In the Pacific, the Pacific Tourism Waste Action Initiative is providing women opportunities to explore innovative and inclusive approaches to contribute to reducing the waste footprint of tourism on the environment.

Women in Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands and Federated States of Micronesia have been trained on repurposing plastic--merging industry, technology, art, and business entrepreneurship. The initiative capitalizes on repurposing parts of PET plastic bottles into the creation of decorative items to be resold through tourism businesses, initiating a circular economy approach.
This program is providing multiple co-benefits, as it provides collection and management of the plastic waste (a hindrance to the tourism sector in Pacific Islands), and contributes to marine conservation; skills-training and confidence building; as well as development of business plans and alternative livelihoods for women, men, youth, elderly, people with disabilities, and LGBTQI community members in particularly tourism-reliant towns.
Check out the different videos on the programs in the countries to hear from women participating in the project.

This Thursday OECD is holding a webinar with experts on the gender-environment nexus:
Gender equality and environmental sustainability are gaining political momentum as global challenges that require urgent coordinated action. Women and men around the world are affected in a differentiated way by climate change, deforestation, land degradation, desertification, unsustainable infrastructure, growing water scarcity and inadequate sanitation, making the goals of gender equality and environmental sustainability mutually reinforcing. They may also experience differentiated health impacts from air pollution and chemicals. Yet, very few countries integrate a gender lens to their environmental data collection and policy making.
30 March 2023 from 15:00-16:00 CET

A new international framework is to be adopted at the World Chemicals Conference in Bonn in September. Until now, chemicals management has mostly been gender-blind. To change this women and gender organizations participated in the preparatory conference (SAICM IP4.2) in Nairobi - see my brief report about our activities below.

If you want to engage in the SAICM process or have any questions, please feel free to contact me. We need more women power and expertise on chemicals and waste on our way to the World Chemicals Conference!