DILI, 17 november 2022 (TATOLI)- United Nations Women (UNW) views women and girls are disproportionately impacted by natural disasters such as climate change, which caused higher loss of lives and livelihoods during disasters.
UNW Chief office, Amy Nishtha Satyam said, these impacts are experienced by women and girls due to gender-specific barriers and inequalities.
“Across the board, from life expectancy to education, housing, health, safety, job security, and nutrition, women and girls are impacted more severely than men. Yet, women are largely excluded from shaping disaster risk reduction and resilience policies, strategies, and programs,”
At this point, Satyam calls on Timorese women to be more aware of the natural disasters during the rainy seasons, saying UNW prepares to attend to the needs of women: “UNW is preparing to attend to the specific needs of women during when occurred natural disasters such as floods, landslides, and others that most affected women’s life,’’ Amy Nishtha Satyam told TATOLI at UNTL Campos, Caicoli, Wednesday.
“UNW will take action to help women and evacuate them to the shelter places, provide the nutrition, sanitation, hygiene kits, and others because women can be released and women can be an actor of big change in the process of disaster recovery, therefore We are going to promote women’s participation in response to rehabilitation and at the same also reached out more specifically to women themselves,” She said.
According to Satyam UNW has been cooperating with the Secretary of State for Civil Protection to increase women’s capacity in disaster risk prevention.
“We underwent the first training on Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) program within municipal authority on natural disaster prevention and UNW also provides advocacy on looking at gender response and gender sensitivity, evacuation centers, and gender responses on evacuation methods As well as women and girls’ specific needs during natural disasters at the same time looking to address the escalation of violence that usually happens and is followed by disaster. UNW is planning to provide training to entire municipalities across the country,” she added.
According to Satyam, this program will partner with National and International NGOs composed of Plan International, FOKUPERS, AFELA, STRELA, and others.
Journalist: José Belarmino De Sá
Editor: Nelia B.
