Climate change, women's land rights inter-related: Speaker

Climate change, women's land rights and sustainable development are all inter-related and there is a need to address the issues and challenges associated with them, Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan said here today.

She was addressing the World Parliamentary Forum on Sustainable Development on the theme 'Women Political Leaders: Climate Change, Women Land Rights and Sustainable Development'.

Mahajan said women face disproportionate risks and greater burdens from the impacts of poverty, climate change and other social, political and economic crises.

As such, women's land rights are critical to secure them access to land and other natural resources for sustainable livelihoods and for assuring food security, she said, according to a press release issued by the Lok Sabha Secretariat.
 

She called upon the stakeholders to evolve a broader conceptualization of land rights and access to productive resources which is pro-poor, gender inclusive and responsive to human rights.

In India, inheritance laws have been amended to entitle a daughter to inherit family property including land on par with son, the Speaker said.

She highlighted that the 2030 Agenda and its actionable core of 17 SDGs resemble India's vision of development.

The government of India's initiatives such as 'Smart Cities', 'Make-in-India', 'Beti Bachao, Beti Padao' (Save girl child, educate girl child), 'Swachh Bharat', 'Jan Dhan Yojana', Digital India, Skill India, Startup India closely relate to several targets under SDGs, she said.

Mahajan said Parliament of India has been making consistent efforts to mainstream the role of women legislators in policy-formation and programme implementation, particularly in the development sphere.

Both the government and the Parliament have taken keen interest in the proper implementation of SDGs, and have committed to set aside one day during each session for a thorough discussion on the progress on SDGs, focusing on one particular goal at a time, the Speaker said.

This will serve as an opportunity for stocktaking and course correction while ensuring a broader participation of parliamentarians in achievement of SDGs.