CAN submission - Future activities under the Nairobi Work Programme - September 2011
Submitted by Anonymous on
Tags:
Topics:
Organization:
Tag: nairobi
Women’s Statement at COP12 / COP-MOP2 - 17, Nov, 2006
Submitted by admin on
Nairobi, 17 November 2006
Delivered by Ms Annabell Waititu, on behalf of genanet/LIFE e.V. and women gather at COP12
Mr. President, distinguished delegates:
Let me tell you about my village in Nyeri in the Central Province of Kenya. Here, women are responsible for agricultural production in terms of household use. While women’s farming secures the food for the families, men are more engaged in commercial farming. Nowadays, our farmers can no longer plan when to start their planting because the rains are increasingly delayed. They can only plant when the rain begins. When they plant, the rain may stop suddenly, causing loss of seeds or production failure. Unfortunately, the farmers don’t know that the changes in weather patterns are related to climate change. Relevant information is not available to them so that they can make an informed decision on what to plant when, and secure a good harvest.
Women and men fulfil different roles in their families and societies. Their situation differs with regard to economic sectors, income, and property ownership. Women constitute the majority of the world’s poor, and are often more dependent on natural resources. Moreover, women and men impact the climate differently. And they are differently affected by climate change. They can play specific roles in mitigation. And they have particular needs, and specific contributions to make to adaptation.
We are concerned that gender issues, women’s needs, interests and aspirations are not included in the discussions here. After all, Climate Change is a sustainable development challenge.
Take adaptation: Adaptation programmes need to acknowledge the different capacity of men and women to cope with climate change. It is particularly important to ensure women’s participation in developing adaptation programmes. Gender analysis should be integrated into National Adaptation Plans. Women should have an equal say in how resources for adaptation are spent at the national level.
Take capacity building: Capacity building programmes should educate girls and boys, women and men about climate change, enabling them to adapt. However, many programmes are not target-group specific, ignoring the fact that women and men use different channels to share information. In their design and rollout, these campaigns should draw on priorities put forward by women and local communities. Information needs to reach women, particularly rural women who are remote from the cities and information and technologies.
Finally, let’s talk about market-based mechanisms: They marginalize those who do not have the cash to buy their water, fuel wood and medicines. The monetary poor include women, Indigenous Peoples, and landless farmers. These people also lack formal land titles, marketing skills, investment capital and information they would need if the they wished to compete in environmental services markets. Therefore, all market-based approaches need a careful analysis of positive and negative effects on all potential market actors. This cannot necessarily be done at the national level but may require context-specific analysis at the local level.
Distinguished delegates, we need information, technology transfer, and resources – particularly for women, especially in Africa. Without that, we will not have effective climate protection, we will not have sustainable development, we will not have justice.
Therefore, we call for a creative and integrated approach to climate change policy. If you are lacking in ideas, women are prepared to contribute!
Related Event:
CAN Intervention - COP Plenary - COP 12 - Nov 2007
Submitted by admin on
Thank you Mr. Chairman/President.
My name is Sharon Looremeta, and I am a Maasai and I work with my farming community - we have mainly herding animals and they have been suffering and continue to suffer from drought. Many of the animals we rely on are dying.
Two weeks ago we welcomed you to our country. We had high hopes that you were serious about addressing the threat of climate change which is destroying livelihoods all across Africa. Now we wonder if you are just like all the other tourists who come here to see some wild animals, and some poor Africans; to take some pictures and then go home and forget about us..
Dear ministers, we hope that the pictures you have taken, remain fixed in your mind while you’re deciding what to do. Here is another picture for you:
Parts of Kenya have suffered a drought which started in 2003, these areas have had no proper rains for three years. During this time:
o In Northern Kenya, pastoralists have lost 10 million livestock;
o Two thirds of the population in Turkana have lost their livelihoods;
o In Kajiado, the Maasai country where I come from, we have lost 5 million cattle
We have had no part to play in contributing to this problem but we are already suffering the consequences.
Kofi Annan sent a special envoy to Kajiado in March this year to try and help with the drought.
Not such a pretty picture, eh? And these pictures are repeated all across Africa, and the scientists are telling us that pretty soon, this kind of picture of hunger and suffering is the only kind of picture you’re going to be able to see here in Africa. I hope you keep these pictures in your mind when you are deciding whether this COP will achieve anything, or not.
Dear ministers, we never asked for anything that you yourself didn’t say was possible here in Nairobi. In all your speeches you said improving the Kyoto Protocol was important. But are you really willing to do the work to make it happen?
We said, “the review of the Kyoto Protocol was important for Africa, because we need more funds for adaptation - more than what we have now”, and you said, ‘later’;
We said, “we need deeper emissions cuts so that our children and grandchildren can have a better chance in life”, and you said, ‘later’;
We said, “we need new mechanisms to help sustainable development in Africa” and you said, ‘later’.
I am a mother. I have a daughter. When she asks me what came out of the meeting in Nairobi, I don’t want to have to tell her that you said, ‘ask me again next year’.
This was supposed to be the African COP - building and strengthening the Kyoto Protocol with Africa’s needs in mind. I think this should be called the ‘Safari COP’. ‘Climate change tourists’ is what I call you… you come here to look at some climate impacts and some poor people suffering, and then climb on your airplanes and head home. Africa is sometimes called the forgotten continent. And it looks like you’ve forgotten us again….
Just so you know, that this weekend while you head off on Safari or climb on your jet airplanes and fly back to your comfortable homes - and we know that most of you live in comfortable homes, no matter what country you come from, my people will be left out here with very little food, very little water, with our herds dying around us. My people are living on the edge of existence.
We believe your decisions have left a small window of opportunity to meet the demands of the people of Africa and the rest of the world.
If they cannot be made today, they must be made at your next meeting. Give me some good news that I can tell my daughter when I get home.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman/President.
Organization:
Related Event:
CAN Intervention - High Level Segment - COP 12 - Nov 2007
Submitted by admin on
As we enter the final hours of negotiations here in Nairobi, the Climate Action Network calls for bold leadership in keeping with the scale and urgency of the challenge before us. Climate change is the greatest threat to human security we have ever faced. But we negotiate here and act at home as if we are committed to climate change, rather than to avoiding it. The recent release of the Stern Report on the Economics of climate change is the latest call to action.
Thank you Mr. President and distinguished delegates.
My name is Louise Comeau. I have the honour today of addressing you on behalf of the members of the Climate Action Network.
As we enter the final hours of negotiations here in Nairobi, the Climate Action Network calls for bold leadership in keeping with the scale and urgency of the challenge before us.
Climate change is the greatest threat to human security we have ever faced. But we negotiate here and act at home as if we are committed to climate change, rather than to avoiding it.
The recent release of the Stern Report on the Economics of climate change is the latest call to action.
The day is fast approaching when we no longer have the option of avoiding 2 degrees average global warming. At this level of warming – and noting – that global average temperature increases of this level would mean up to six degrees warming in Canada – we start to cross critical thresholds for water, food, and environmental systems.
Business as usual will mean even greater warming and risk up to 20 percent of the value of the global economy.
We have known for almost two decades that radical reductions are needed to avoid economically, socially and environmentally destructive climate change.
We have also known that taking action will cost far less than the cost of the impacts with the figure of 1 percent of global GDP consistent with many assessments, including in Canada where I come from.
Further delay is simply not responsible.
The world is watching: the welfare of your citizens, your communities, and your economies is in your hands.
Nairobi must set the stage for the launch of formal negotiations at COP/MOP3 if we are to avoid a gap between commitment periods.
Courage, creativity and flexibility will be needed to finalize such a Nairobi package and there is reason to be hopeful.
We welcome the positive gestures shown in recent days by a number of developed and developing countries offering concrete proposals for moving forward.
Sadly, however, others among you have been less respectful; less forthcoming about your intentions. It will take courage to confront the obstacles placed before us by these laggards.
There is only one atmosphere. Failure to meet current targets and to set deep targets for the second commitment period risks all our security.
And no country can be allowed to escape its responsibility to contribute its fair share. We owe it to current and future generations. Please - mind the gap - for all our sakes.
Thank you.
Organization:
Related Event:
