Putting Gender on Africa's Climate Agenda

PUTTING GENDER ON AFRICA’S CLIMATE AGENDA
Women suffer the most from the consequences of the climate change. Gender issues must therefore be taken into consideration when we act on climate change. Ms Rosemary Olive Mbone Enie, a Cameroonian Geologist and Gender Ambassador for the Gender and Water Alliance (GWA) the Netherlands, steering committee member Gender and Disaster Network (GDN)-UK, Core Group Member, Gender and Climate Change (Gender CC) –Women for Climate Justice-Germany, International Advisory Board member Women Earth Alliance (WEA)- USA and International Coordinator for the Women Environmental and Climate Action Network (WECAN) based in Monrovia, Liberia and Limbe Cameroon, has been promoting Gender and Climate issues across Africa for the past 5 years. She has had the opportunity of participating in various climate change negotiations and events worldwide. Ms Mbone Enie calls upon the African Union (AU) and all Africa Governments to make a commitment to mainstream gender into the national, sub-regional and regional climate change programs.

It now time for African Governments to see that Gender and Climate Change are closely interrelated. One example is women facing challenges collecting water at wells as climate changes often cause droughts. Women and girls play a significant role in agriculture in many developing countries. According to UN, agriculture is one of the areas likely to be most affected by climate changes. An agreement on climate changes should acknowledge women’s position and special needs. We, the women of Africa shall be very delighted to see that our governments are committed to focus on gender and climate.

Since the COP 14, in Poznan Poland, Ms Enie made a commitment to advocate for African women with regard to climate change and has nominated herself to be a spokesperson for African women in the negotiations up to the COP15 and beyond in order to ensure that African women’s needs and perspectives are taken into consideration.

Under the support of the Government of Finland, she had the opportunity to meet women members of parties from various African countries and urge them to commit to and focus on gender issues in negotiations up to COP15 and beyond. African women are calling upon development partners, UN agencies and other international organisation to support women delegates from Africa and other developing countries on gender issues and climate change. We are happy to know UNDP will also support female ministers of environment taking the lead on a range of issues. We are also delighted to be part of the UN ‘Seal the Deal’ Campaign and African Gender and Climate Change Program taking place in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 15-17 October 2009. We see this as a good platform to launch Gender and Climate Change issues and Put Gender on Africa’s Climate Agenda.

For Details about the program, Please contact;
Ms Rosemary Olive Mbone Enie
Geologist/Gender Ambassador
CEO/President, Society for Women Empowerment Education and Training (SWEET) Africa Foundation, P O Box 1075, Limbe, Cameroon Tel: +237 99580292
Email: rosembone@gmail.com