CEDAW/C/GC/37 women and men in all areas of life, as well as the specific guarantees in relation to those rights under the Convention that may be particularly affected by climate change and disasters, including extreme weather events such as floods and hurricanes, as well as slow-onset phenomena, such as the melting of polar ice caps and glaciers, drought and sea-level rise. 11. The present general recommendation may also be used to inform the work of civil society organizations, international and regional intergovernmental organizations, educators, the scientific community, medical personnel, employers and any other stakeholders engaged in activities connected to disaster risk reduction and climate change. 12. The objective of the present general recommendation is to underscore the urgency of mitigating the adverse effects of climate change and to highlight the steps necessary to achieve gender equality, the realization of which will reinforce the resilience of individuals and communities globally in the context of climate change and disasters. It is also intended to contribute to coherence, accountability and the mutual reinforcement of international agendas on disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation, by focusing on the impacts of climate change and disasters on women’s human rights. 13. In the present general recommendation, the Committee does not exhau stively cover the gender-related dimensions of climate change mitigation and adaptation measures, nor does it differentiate between disasters relating to climate change and other disasters. It should be emphasized, however, that a large proportion of contemporary disasters may be attributed to human-induced climatic changes and that the recommendations provided herein are also applicable to hazards, risks and disasters that are not directly linked to climate change. For the purposes of the present general recommendation, disasters are defined as including all those events, small scale and large-scale, frequent and infrequent, sudden- and slow-onset, caused by natural or human-made hazards, and related environmental, technological and biological hazards and risks, mentioned in the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–2030, as well as any other chemical, nuclear and biological hazards and risks. Such hazards and risks include the testing and use of all types of weapons by State and non-State actors. 14. The obligations of States parties to effectively mitigate and adapt to the adverse effects of climate change, in order to reduce the increased disaster risk, have been recognized by international human rights mechanisms. Limiting fossil fuel use and greenhouse gas emissions and the harmful environmental effects of extractive industries such as mining and fracking, and the allocation of climate financing, are regarded as crucial steps in mitigating the negative human rights impacts of climate change and disasters. Any mitigation or adaptation measures should be designed and implemented in accordance with the human rights principles of substantive equality and non-discrimination, participation and empowerment, accountability and access to justice, transparency and the rule of law. 15. The present general recommendation is focused on the obligations of States parties and non-State actors to take effective measures to prevent, mitigate the adverse effects of and respond to disasters and climate change and, in that context, to ensure that the human rights of women and girls are respected, protected and fulfilled in accordance with international law. Three mutually reinforcing areas for action by stakeholders are identified, centring on the general principles of the Convention applicable to disaster risk and climate change, specific measures to address disaster risk reduction and climate change and specific areas of concern. 18-03824 5/24