Editorial 1 : She Still Rises
Context: Every day is Women’s Day — with or without support
Historical Context of International Women’s Day
- Origins
- Traced back to the 1909 New York Shirtwaist Strike, where 20,000 female garment workers demanded better pay, shorter hours, and voting rights.
- Clara Zetkin proposed International Women’s Day at the 1910 Copenhagen Conference, inspired by labour movements.
- Indian Context
- Constitutional guarantees like universal suffrage and equality before the law were established early.
- Persistent challenges in translating legal rights into practical empowerment.
Progress in Women’s Empowerment
- Education
- Female GER Surpasses Male GER: Since 2017-18, Female Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) has exceeded Male GER.
- Medical Colleges: 1:1 gender parity in enrolments (2020-21).
- IITs: Rising female representation due to affirmative action (e.g., seat reservations).
- Workforce Participation
- Rising Labor Force Participation: 41.7% female participation (PLFS 2023-24), though still low compared to men.
- Political Recognition
- Women-led development is now a governance priority.
- Political parties design schemes targeting women’s aspirations (e.g. Ladli Behna Yojana, Kanyashree).
Persistent Challenges
- Policy and Legal Barriers
- Reduction to Mere Beneficiaries: Welfare schemes (e.g. Mahalakshmi Scheme, Ladki Bahin Yojana) risk framing women as passive recipients rather than active agents.
- Regressive Laws: Uniform Civil Code in Uttarakhand restricts autonomy in personal choices (e.g. marriage, cohabitation).
- Socio-Economic Disparities
- Unpaid Labor: According to the time use survey, (2024) women spend significantly more time on unpaid domestic work than men.
- Workforce Inequality: Majority of female employment remains self-employed or informal.
- Safety and Infrastructure
- Public Spaces: Transport systems and urban design often neglect women’s safety needs.
- Global Backslide: UN Report (2024): 25% of governments globally reported regression in women’s rights.
Conclusion and Way Forward
- Institutional Support: Affirmative action in education and governance reflects systemic shifts toward gender equity.
- Cultural Shift: A female gaze is gradually reshaping institutions, enabling women’s transition from domestic to public spheres.
Continued Struggles: Despite progress, women’s rights face resistance (e.g. legal infantilization, unpaid labour burdens).
Editorial 2 : A New Rule Book
Context: Brazil minister is correct in pushing for mechanisms to complement UNFCCC on climate negotiations.
Introduction: The adoption of the Paris Climate Pact, 10 years ago, instilled hope that the global community had found the resolve to tackle one of the most difficult challenges before it. It spurred countries to draft national plans to combat global warming and paved the way for a ‘rule book’ for climate action.
Decline in Momentum Set by Paris Climate Pact
- National commitments today are nowhere close to meeting the pact’s goal of limiting temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.
- The transition to green energy remains fraught, with the developed world, emerging economies and the least developed countries not being on the same page on eliminating fossil fuel use.
- These failures have raised questions over the processes of the UNFCCC — the UN body which stewards global climate change negotiations.
Challenges in Global Climate Governance
- Institutional Limitations of the UNFCCC
- Implementation Gaps
- Over 30 subsidiary agencies address funding, adaptation, and loss/damage, yet fail to enforce compliance.
- Temperature thresholds continue to be breached.
- Weak Enforcement: No mechanisms to hold nations accountable for unmet commitments.
- Structural Flaws in the Paris Framework
- Inadequate Review Cycles: 5-year review intervals for national goals deemed insufficient (as highlighted by Brazil’s Marina Silva).
- Exclusive Focus on Treaties: Prioritizes negotiations over actionable implementation support.
Proposed Reforms and Pathways for Improvement
- Strengthening the UNFCCC
- Expand IPCC’s Role: Leverage the IPCC’s scientific credibility for climate diplomacy and policy influence.
- Enhanced Monitoring: Shift focus to tracking progress and enforcing accountability.
- Complementary Multilateral Mechanisms
- Brazil’s Proposal: Create additional mechanisms to ensure adherence to national commitments.
- Regional and Non-State Alliances: Foster partnerships between neighbouring countries, civil society, and businesses to bypass bureaucratic inertia.
- Addressing Equity Gaps
- Bridging Divides: Resolve disparities in fossil fuel elimination timelines between developed and developing nations.
- Funding and Capacity Building: Prioritize support for vulnerable economies to transition sustainably.
Way Forward: Effective Climate Diplomacy
- Shorten Review Cycles: Accelerate revisions of national climate goals to reflect real-time progress.
- Inclusive Governance: Integrate non-state actors (e.g. IPCC, NGOs) into decision-making.
- Regional Collaboration: Build alliances to address localized climate impacts and shared resources.
- Enforcement Mechanisms: Develop penalties or incentives to ensure compliance with pledges.
Conclusion: Climate negotiation is too serious an issue to be left solely to one UN agency. It requires building alliances at regional levels i.e. between neighbouring countries, among civil society groups and business organisations. Brazil’s climate action minister’s suggestion could be seen as a precursor to a different and effective climate change diplomacy.