CFUW UNCSW71 Written Statement

CFUW has submitted a written statement to the United Nations in advance of the 71st session of the Commission on the Status of Women (UNCSW71). CFUW submits a written statement annually under our ECOSOC status. Click here to read this year's statement in full.

This year, CFUW focused on the UNCSW71 review theme: Achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls in the context of climate change, environmental and disaster risk reduction policies and programmes.

This statement focuses on the impact of, and on, education in empowering women and girls in the context of climate change, inspired by the review theme of the upcoming Commission on the Status of Women. The Canadian Federation of University Women welcomes the opportunity to submit a statement on this important topic, as we have advocated for education throughout our organization’s 107-year history.  We have seen education's impact not only on those who receive it, but on their communities.

We applaud the publication of Canada’s National Adaptation Strategy Progress Report (2026), which acknowledges that climate change is increasing risks to Canada's communities, health systems, ecosystems and economy, with impacts growing in scale, cost and complexity. Knowledge must precede action.

Education can strengthen climate action by giving women and girls the knowledge, skills, and opportunities to participate in environmental decision-making, research, and emerging green sectors. Education which accounts for existing gender inequalities in educational systems can also address the underlying inequalities that shape women's experiences of climate change, strengthening their climate resilience and that of their communities.

Canada's National Framework for Environmental Learning (2026) recognizes environmental education as an underused tool for addressing climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution. This strategy calls for equipping people with the knowledge, skills, and agency to take meaningful action, navigate misinformation and disinformation, and build resilient communities.

Governments should strengthen collaboration among schools, educators, local governments, businesses and civil society organizations. Improving access to environmental learning resources, expanding educator capacity and supporting research and data collection can help communities develop the skills needed to respond to climate change.

Finally, environmental learning must provide women and girls with equitable access to emerging climate-related opportunities. This includes strengthening access to science, technology, engineering and mathematics education, supporting green skills development and addressing barriers to women's participation in environmental and clean technology sectors.

To improve access to education and to prevent and alleviate disaster risk, the Canadian Federation of University Women offers the following recommendations:

Recommendations:

1. Protect access to education during climate-related emergencies by investing in climate-resilient educational infrastructure and upholding continuity of learning, with particular attention to the barriers girls face when schooling is disrupted.
2. Develop and strengthen national environmental learning strategies that prepare learners with the knowledge, skills and agency needed to respond to climate change, pollution and biodiversity loss.
3. Centre Indigenous leadership in developing, implementing, and evaluating environmental learning and climate adaptation policies, ensuring Indigenous knowledge, experiences, and priorities are included.
4. Improve access to environmental learning resources by strengthening cooperation among educational institutions, local governments, businesses, and civil society organizations, and by establishing accessible national registries of existing resources.
5. Advance gender equality in climate education and employment by expanding women's and girls' access to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education; climate research; green skills development; and environmental and clean technology careers.
6. Strengthen women's participation in climate decision-making by eliminating barriers to leadership, recognizing women’s contributions in climate science, environmental governance, and disaster risk reduction.

Endorsed by:

Graduate Women International

International Alliance of Women

The National Council of Women of Canada