Nidya Pesántez: Incorporating a gender perspective into climate action means recognizing existing barriers and making an active effort to eliminate them
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Every April 22nd, we commemorate International Mother Earth Day, a date officially recognized by the United Nations through General Assembly Resolution 64/196, adopted on December 21, 2009. This recognition marked a political milestone in the global environmental agenda by emphasizing the need to foster a balanced and respectful relationship between humanity and the planet we inhabit.
While the official origin of this day is rooted in the political and social movements of the second half of the 20th century, the concept of “Mother Earth” has long existed in many communities around the world. It reflects a deeper cultural worldview that sees the Earth as a feminine, sacred, and life-giving being. For many Indigenous peoples, this spiritual and symbiotic bond with the Earth is at the core of their cosmovision and way of life. Recognizing, reclaiming, and valuing these ways of understanding and inhabiting the world is essential if we are truly committed to building a sustainable future, one where care for life, reciprocity, and respect for natural cycles is not optional, but the guiding principle of our collective decisions.
In this spirit, International Mother Earth Day also invites us to reflect on those who play a fundamental role in nurturing this balanced relationship with nature: women. Women are the weavers of the web of life — a network of relationships connecting people and ecosystems, sustained through care, knowledge, and interdependence. Through their daily actions, wisdom, and resistance, women not only confront the impacts of the climate crisis but also lead transformative solutions that repair the bond between humanity and nature.
To further explore this issue, we speak with Nidya Pesántez, Head of the Regional Hub on Gender, Environment and Climate Justice at UN Women, and UN Women Representative in Bolivia.
In this context of environmental crisis and multiple threats, what does it really mean to integrate a gender perspective into climate policies and actions?