Gender and climate justice start with local government – Cyber dialogue summary for 29 November 2011

Date: 29 November 2011
Facilitator: Saeanna Chingamuka
Theme:Human rights defenders day, celebrating women’s human rights and recognising women and men who are promoting women’s rights in communities

Question one: What is the latest news from COP 17?

• “People’s SpaceÀ has been created at the University of KwaZulu Natal. It is a space that has been set aside for alternative media and civil society in general.
• The Inter Press Service (IPS) and WomensNet is training female journalists on issues of climate change.
• Currently, men dominate media coverage on climate change. There is a need for female and male journalists to report on how women in local communities deal with climate change issues.
• The female journalists are expected to cover COP 17 and produce stories with a gender dimension.
• The training encourage sjournalists to simplify the climate change discourse and disseminate information to communities.

Question two: Are there women in your communities who are climate sheroes? Tell us about them.

• In Namibia a football team(Blue Waters FC) cleaned a desert side,this is a great example for women to follow suit.
• A group of women in Chitungwiza,Zimbabwe who cleaned up refuse in an effort to curb the spread of Malaria in their community.
• Schools in Namibia are taking a stand through cleaning up campaigns,this educates the learners about taking charge and caring for their environments at a younger age.
• Michelle Garforth Venter of South Africa has written many documents on how people can change from using matarials that are potentially harming to the environment to using those that are not harming to the environment. One such example is switchig from using plastic bags for shopping to using fabric shopping bags which are recyclable.
• In Botswana women are empowering themselves and making a contribution to looking after the environment through gardening in their backyards.
• Wangaari Mathaai is a great example for a climate and gender activist. She not only taught women how to plant trees but buy they should plant them and also because she stood up for Uhuru Park in Nairobi.Wangari Maathai’s life and work is actually being commemorated today by the women of Kenya.

Question 3: How can we make people care for their environments,i.e their streets and the air?

• It is mandatory to take care of ones environment in Rwanda.you are fined if you do not participate. One Saturday a month all citizens must clean their streets and surrounding areas during the morning. No one is allowed to mill around.
• At the South African Local Government Association(SALGA) meeting a few points and questions were raised concerning COP17. SALGA is trying to find ways for people working on social development to better assist local government and not replicate activities.Climate change is one of the issues on the agenda but people say that unless development as a whole in South Africa is adressed, climate change may not be viewed as a priority.

Question 4: How representative is COP 17?

• The question raised is whether COP is an elitist group of people who claim to be experts or whether local government and ordinary people are part of this community?
• Who really is this community that is being represented at COP 17?
• Are women climate champions being celebrated there? Are gender issues firmly placed on the agenda?
• These are quetsions that need to   be raised at various for a in COP 17 and at civil society meetings.

Download : 13704_cyber_dialogue_french_report_climate_justice_dsclm_29112011.pdf
Download : 13705_cyber_dialogue_summary__gbv_nmkr_29112011.pdf