Conforming to the global sustainable development agenda in letter and spirit, the International Conference on Gender Equality (ICGE) organised by the Gender Park in Kozhikode on February 11, 12 and 13 will be the State’s first fully carbon neutral event.
A press release said here on Tuesday that the Gender Park, under the Department of Women and Child Development, is organising the second edition of ICGE in association with UN Women. Speakers and participants from across the world will take part in the event on the Gender Park campus in Kozhikode.
The department has decided to bring ‘Sustainability’ as the core theme of the event, at a time when climate change is disrupting economies and lives across continents.
India, especially Kerala, has seen the worst changing weather patterns, rising sea levels, extreme weather events, and greenhouse gas emissions, which recorded the highest levels in history.
It is imperative to maintain maximum temperature at less than 35 degrees Celsius and minimum between 23 and 24 degrees Celsius in Kerala, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD). The Department of Women and Child Development has taken massive steps to ensure that the conference fully adheres to sustainability as its core theme.
The event will be evaluated and verified as the First Carbon Neutral Event in Kerala to enhance awareness and capacity-building activities in line with State Action Plans for Climate Change (SAPCC), said Dr. P.T.M. Sunish, CEO, Gender Park.
The mandates of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Paris Agreement on implementation of climate actions by governments through Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) are also taken into serious consideration.
For the purpose, the Gender Park has taken on board Vydyuthi Energy Services (VES), a Kerala-based energy and carbon consulting start-up, which recently was recognised by the UN Women for becoming one of the first start-ups from Kerala supporting gender equality. Its commitment towards having more than 50% of its team members as women has paved the way for the honour.
