Kerala to see first Carbon Neutral event at ICGE-II

Conforming to the global sustainabledevelopment agenda, the three-day International Conference onGender Equality (ICGE) here from February 11, will be thestate's first fully Carbon Neutral event.

The Gender Park, under the state's Department of Womenand Child Development, is organising the second edition ofICGE in association with UN Women.

Speakers and participants from across the world will takepart in the event at the Gender Park campus in Kozhikode,abiding by the COVID-19 safety protocol.

The department has decided to bring Sustainability as thecore theme of the entire event, at a time when climate changeis disrupting the economies and lives across continents.

''The event will be evaluated and verified as the FirstCarbon Neutral Event in Kerala to enhance the awareness andcapacity building activities in line with State Action Plansfor Climate Change,'' said Dr P T M Sunish, CEO, Gender Park.

The mandates of the United Nations Framework Conventionon Climate Change and the Paris Agreement implementation ofclimate actions by governments through Nationally DeterminedContributions were also taken into serious consideration.

For this,the Gender Park has taken on board Kerala-basedenergy and carbon consulting startup Vydyuthi Energy Services,which recently was recognized by the UN Women for becoming oneof the first startups from the state supporting genderequality.

The startups commitment towards having more than 50 percent of its team members as women have paved its way for thisrecognition.

Carbon neutrality of ICGE II will be achieved followingthe PAS 2060 Carbon Neutrality Standard that set out therequirements for conducting and demonstrating carbonneutrality allowing the event to improve environmentalcredentials with accuracy and transparency.

The Gender Park also aims to become the First CarbonNeutral Campus in Kerala in the coming years, where VES willsupport the department in creating and achieving theneutrality targets.

The park aims to become a role model in supporting thestate in its journey towards creating a #CarbonNeutralKerala.

The conclave, which has 'Gender in SustainableEntrepreneurship and Social Business: The Mediating Role ofEmpowerment' as its theme, will be attended by policymakers,academics, professionals and domain experts from across theglobe.

The event will also brainstorm the crucial linkagesbetween entrepreneurship, economic growth and povertyalleviation, which are in tune with the UNs 17 SustainableDevelopment Goals (SDGs).