By Muniratu Akweley Issah
Accra, Nov. 03, GNA – Participants at the end of a 4-day feminist conference have called for the inclusion of women in the climate change agenda, particularly in the upcoming Conference of Party (COP 28) in Dubai.
The participants also recommended the payment of compensations to African countries that have been affected by the climate change transition.
The conference dubbed: “Feminist COP”, was co-convened by the African Women Development Communication Network (FEMNET) prior to the 28th session of the UN climate COP 28, which would serve as bold safe space for feminists, climate activists, indigenous leaders, girls and young women advocates to reflect, strategise and co-design ways to engage, disrupt and show up at the conference in November.
Participants of the conference included representatives from Ghana, Cameroon, Burkina Faso, Senegal, Central African Republic, Nigeria, Mozambique, Botswana, Kenya, Uganda, Tunisia, Sudan South, Tanzania and Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
The theme for the 2023 Feminist COP: “A Feminist Approach to Just Transitions”, underscores the importance of inclusive, equitable, and gender-responsive approaches to addressing the climate change crisis and its impacts.
It also highlights the need to ensure that the transition to a sustainable future, leaves no one behind, particularly women, girls, and marginalised communities.
The theme connects the various thematic dialogues and demands for climate finance, debt justice, renewable energy, climate reparations, loss and damage and adaptation funds and leadership of indigenous communities, women, and frontline communities.
Embracing a feminist perspective to the notion of just transitions acknowledges the interconnectedness of environmental and social equity, emphasising that gender justice, climate justice, debt justice, energy justice, knowledge justice and healing justice are fundamental to all transition plans.
Sharing their stories, the majority of the participants said most communities and farm lands had been washed away by floods, rendering them insecure and vulnerable in society.
Idongesit Umoh, a participant, said the climate change situation had come to stay, hence the need for individuals to adapt to it and find ways of dealing with the transition process with support from climate change advocates, saying “climate financing is important, it is becoming harder for women to manage their lands and making them vulnerable in society.
Zukiswa White, a facilitator at the conference, urged the feminists to push for climate funding from governments, policy makers, fossil fuel companies and private investors to pay compensation to affected persons.
She encouraged an effective collaboration among the feminist groups to ensure that developed countries responsible for the loss in African countries paid for the damages caused.
GNA