Argentina


Women's Tribunal:  Gender and Climate Justice:  ARGENTINA
Date:  October 11, 2011
Location: Resistencia, Chaco
Contact: Daniela Jaschek - djaschek@gmail.com



November 10, 2011

Audiencia “Mujeres y Justicia Climática 2011-Argentina: Fortaleciendo voces, buscando soluciones”,

Con entrada libre y gratuita, se realizó el pasado martes en la Casa de las Culturas de la ciudad de Resistencia, Provincia del Chaco, la Audiencia “Mujeres y Justicia Climática 2011-Argentina: Fortaleciendo voces, buscando soluciones”, con el objetivo de lograr un dictamen nacional que sea presentado junto a las conclusiones continentales en la Cumbre Mundial del Cambio Climático COP17, a realizarse en Durban, Sudáfrica, y en la Cumbre de las Naciones Unidas Río+20 que se llevará a cabo en la ciudad de Río de Janeiro, Brasil. Este evento se produjo e n el marco de las audiencias sobre mujeres y justicia climática que el "Llamado Mundial de Acción contra la Pobreza" (GCAP) y el Grupo de Trabajo Feminista está llevando a cabo en quince países de África, Asia y América Latina.
 Participaron del evento unas 150 personas entre representantes de reconocidas organizaciones sociales rurales, urbanas y de pueblos originarios de todo el país.



El objetivo de las Audiencia fue poner de relieve las soluciones locales que se están encontrando y llevar las voces de los más afectados -las mujeres y los grupos tradicionalmente excluidos– a influir en las negociaciones y planes de acción sobre el cambio climático a nivel nacional, así como a nivel internacional. Durante la Audiencia pudieron escucharse testimonios auténticos, específicos y ejemplares de mujeres que experimentan a diario graves problemas vinculados a los efectos del cambio climático y la búsqueda de soluciones innovadoras e inspiradoras que han encontrado para mitigar dichos efectos. 

La inauguración de la Audiencia estuvo a cargo de la presidenta del Instituto de Cultura Prof. Silvia Robles. El jurado fue compuesto por el presidente del Instituto de Desarrollo Social y Promoción Humana INDES, Ing. Agr. Luis Bartra, quien estuvo acompañado por la presidente de la Organización Nacional de Pueblos Indígenas de la Argentina ONPIA, Basilia Barrientos de Colonia Aborigen, Chaco, e Isabel Aquino, dirigente misionera de pueblos originarios guaraníes


Cándida Fernández del Movimiento Campesino de Formosa MOCAFOR “No estamos en contra de la siembra transgénica porque sabemos que la plata que sale de ahí la presidenta lo distribuye. Pero nos afecta. A las mujeres nos afecta en el útero. Cuando estamos embarazadas ya estamos enfermando a nuestros hijos. Pedimos que retiren cerca de nosotras la siembra de soja. Nuestras escuelas están cerca de los espacios donde fumigan. Se enferman los chicos, nos enfermamos nosotros”.


María Amelia Bertoldi del Club de Ecoguardianes de Pampa del Infierno, Provincia del Chaco. “Es necesario difundir. La mayoría de las mujeres no saben lo que está pasando. Porque nadie le dice nada. Si alguien se los dice. Los medios de comunicación les dicen lo contrario. Las que saben pero tienen miedo de hablar. En algunos pueblos son amenazadas directamente o miedo a perder sus trabajos. Escondidas vienen a hablar con nosotras.”

Santa López, de la localidad de Bermejo, Provincia del Chaco “como mujer indígena creemos que nos debemos conformar…. Al indígena lo encerraron por el lado de la alimentación. Nos cerraron los bosques. Tenemos que cambiar la alimentación. No hay monte para cazar ni extraer  frutos. Cuando se termina la empresa el mundo indígena y criollo estaban mal porque no teníamos tierra ni trabajo. Nosotros hemos nacido en un lugar donde todos era PROHIBIDO, todavía hay carteles (…) yo trabajé en el campo desde los 12 años. Tu patrona mira como esta, si pero ella no hizo lo que yo hice desde pequeña (tiene 43 años y dificultades para caminar) desde chico se enseña cómo cuidar una familia, como cuidarse. Debemos cuidarnos porque sabemos que lo que hacemos ahora nos trae consecuencias en el futuro”.

La Audiencia “Mujeres y Justicia Climática 2011-Argentina: Fortaleciendo voces, buscando soluciones” fue ejecutada por el Instituto de Desarrollo Humano y Promoción Humana (INDES), ONG que forma parte de la red Encuentro de Entidades No Gubernamentales para el Desarrollo (EENGD). Encuentro es la organización que impulsa la Campaña de Acción Global contra la Pobreza (GCAP) en el ámbito de la República Argentina. Colaborarán en la organización del evento otras dos entidades sin fines de lucro: el Instituto de Cultura Popular (INCUPO) y el Grupo de Voluntariatto Civile (ONG GVC ONLUS).

Fuente: Ramón Esteban

Para más información ver: 





Background

"We must change the large-scale agricultural production model, which causes pollution and employs only a few people. That is what summits like Durban are for"



Rural and indigenous women in northern Argentina, hit hard by the expanding agricultural frontier, deforestation and the spraying of toxic pesticides, spoke out about their problems and set forth proposals for discussion at the next global summit on climate change. They did so at the Women’s Hearing on Gender and Climate Justice 2011-Argentina, held Tuesday Oct. 11 in Resistencia, the capital of Chaco province, 950 km north of Buenos Aires, attended by representatives of organisations from the northern 10 of the country's 23 provinces. 
Read the outcomes: http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=105450


For more information, contact Rosa Lizarde, Global Coordinator, Feminist Task Force at <rosaencasa@aol.com>

The Feminist Task Force was established under the umbrella of the Global Call to Action against Poverty (GCAP) in March, 2005, emphasizing gender equality as central to poverty eradication

Ghana

Women's Tribunal:  Gender and Climate Justice:  GHANA

Date:  October 17, 2011
Location:  Accra
Organizers:  African Women's Economic & Political Network
Contact:  Kenneth Amoateng - abibimmanfoundation@gmail.com

November 10, 2011

As part of the Women and Climate Justice Hearings, Ghana outlined a number of activities to mark the event for today and finally launch the report in November.

There were compilations of stories/case studies from women and other selected individuals from the grassroots in identified districts in Ghana. The hearing is currently ongoing at the Teachers Hall at the center of Accra City the capital of Ghana with a lot of participants attending the event since morning.

Background

“It is our hope that this community led engagement will enhance capacity building and promote community policy advocacy and feed into our medium term goal of having grassroots climate change monitors and action committees to ensure grassroots ownership of the climate change campaign.

The Women’s Hearing will be organized in Accra, Ghana on 17 October, coinciding with the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty. It seeks to provide a forum to bring all key stakeholders together to assess country’s situations and performance on climate change and give a verdict on it.

A photo exhibition and footages will showcase the images and voices captured from the field will be showcased as part of this effort. A delegation comprising mostly of women will officially present copies of the report to the Ministers of the Ministry of Women and Children, and Ministry of Environment, Science and Technology respectively at a round table media event, to influence negotiations and plans of action on climate change at the national as well as the international level especially during COP17 and Rio+ 20.



For more information, contact Rosa Lizarde, Global Coordinator, Feminist Task Force at <rosaencasa@aol.com>


The Feminist Task Force was established under the umbrella of the Global Call to Action against Poverty (GCAP) in March, 2005, emphasizing gender equality as central to poverty eradication.

India

Women's Tribunal:  Gender and Climate Justice:  India

Date:  November 14, 2011
Location:  Nagpur
Organizers:  
Contact:  

“In several regions, women have changed traditional practices related to agriculture or the management of natural resources but these efforts have not been recorded or acknowledged from a scientific or policy viewpoint.”

In India, a National Action Plan (NAP) on Climate Change has been designed and several states have also proposed State Action Plans aimed at dealing with the impacts of climate change. These plans are yet to be analysed with respect to the provision of sustainable alternatives for the most vulnerable communities who depend on forests, water bodies and agriculture land as their main livelihood and resource, including rural and tribal communities and most especially women who are directly involved with the management and use of natural resources in their daily lives.
The Women’s Hearing on Gender and Climate Justice aims to identify and document grassroots alternatives of climate adaptation that could be shared at a national level, alongside a gender review of the National and 04 State Action Plans on Climate Change. The national hearing will be held in Nagpur, India on 14 November 2011. 



For more information, contact Rosa Lizarde, Global Coordinator, Feminist Task Force at <rosaencasa@aol.com>

The Feminist Task Force was established under the umbrella of the Global Call to Action against Poverty (GCAP) in March, 2005, emphasizing gender equality as central to poverty eradication.

Bangladesh

Women's Tribunal:  Gender and Climate Justice: Bangladesh

Date:  October 30, 2011
Location:  Noakhali
Organizers:  
Contact: Abdul Awal - awal@nrdsbd.org


The Women’s Hearing on Gender and Climate Justice will be on 30th October in Bangladesh. Ahead of the climate hearing, local hearings are being organized in five different climate vulnerable areas of Bangladesh. Four of these have been completed as of 17 October, and a fifth will be held on 19 October in the coastal area of Noakhali. The Jury of the Hearing represents expertise in the field of environment, economics, women’s rights and the legal field and includes at this stage Dr. Khalequzzaman, Dr. Hamida Hossain, Retired Justice Golam Robbani, Dr. Atique Rahman and Rasheda K Chowdhury.



For more information, contact Rosa Lizarde, Global Coordinator, Feminist Task Force at <rosaencasa@aol.com>

The Feminist Task Force was established under the umbrella of the Global Call to Action against Poverty (GCAP) in March, 2005, emphasizing gender equality as central to poverty eradication.

Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)


Women's Tribunal:  Gender and Climate Justice:  DRC

Date:  October 17, 2011
Location:  Kamitgua
Organizers:  Lutte Nationale Contre La Puuvrete (Lunacop)

November 10, 2011

The hearing is ongoing. We have the following personalities as members of the jury
·         Judge MUTENDELA
·         Mr. LUSOLO LIMA
·         Madam Lucie MATUZA

Testimonies are being received from the following women.
·         Madam Clarice WABILINDILA
·         Madam Agibertine LUSASA
·         Madam MAPENZI MAZAMBI

DR Congo shelters 60% of the global of forests of the Congo basin. Millions of Congolese (or 60 millions that make the population of DR Congo) depend on forest for their cultural and physical living. According to FAO, the rate of deforestation in DR Congo was of about 0.6% in 1997 and of 0.3% in 2006. In the East of DR Congo, more precisely in the mining city of Kamituga in South Kivu Province, mining has greatly contributed to deforestation – depleting the forest cover and diminishing the agricultural productivity of the region due to erosion of soil. Women walk long distances in search of fertile grounds, cultivable space or firewood.
The Women’s Hearing provides an opportunity for rural women to call out to local and world leaders on the danger that climate change presents in their area, while also showing that they are not merely victims but also key agenda in search of solutions to climate attenuation and adaptation. The Hearing will take place on 17 October in Kamitgua, DRC.



For more information, contact Rosa Lizarde, Global Coordinator, Feminist Task Force at <rosaencasa@aol.com>


The Feminist Task Force was established under the umbrella of the Global Call to Action against Poverty (GCAP) in March, 2005, emphasizing gender equality as central to poverty eradication.


Zambia

Women's Tribunal:  Gender and Climate Justice: Zambia
Date:  October 16 2011
Location:  Choma, Chongwe and Chibombo
Organizers:  African Women's Economic & Political Network
Contact:  Dennis Nyati - dennisnyatimdg@yahoo.com

“Governments must establish gender sensitive benchmarks and indicators, as well as practical tools to ensure that women are integral to their policies and action plans on climate change.”

Update November 10, 2011


Zambia conducted its hearings yesterday. The jury was made up of personnels from the Ministry of Local Government, Environment Protection and Early Childhood and other identified institutions within the local government.

There were women from Southern Province in Choma, Chongwe and Lusaka districts and provinces respectively. The tribunal was followed by a media briefing where GCAP Zambia released a press statement to run off the event.

Details of the women are as follows:
Jenipher Handoondo- Southern province, Choma district
Rosemary Hambula- Southern province, Choma district
Doreen Mwanza - Lusaka Province Chongwe district.
Paxina Phiri     - Lusaka Province, Lusaka district

The Judges were also made up of officials from UNDP Zambia country office and government under the ministry of Local government, Housing, and Early Childhood Education and Environmental protection.



In the rural areas of Zambia, communities are highly dependent on biomass for their energy and livelihoods. However in the face of climate change, their ability to procure this indispensable resource is reduced. The declining biodiversity does not only cripple the material welfare and livelihood of people, it also cripples access to security, resilience, social relations, health and freedom of choices and action.
Interventions to cope with these changes among women in Zambia include water management and growing of crops that are drought and flood tolerant, such as rice grown in the Zambezi plains. The Women’s Hearing in Zambia will be held on Sunday, 16 October and focus on identifying women’s solutions to climate change in Choma, Chongwe and Chibombo districts. It will aim to bring the innovations that women are leading in their communities to the attention of the Zambian government.

Tanzania

Women's Tribunal:  Gender and Climate Justice:  TANZANIA


Date:  November 2011
Location:  Longido Hai, Moshi rural and Arumeru
Organizers:  African Women's Economic & Political Network
Contact:  Jovita Mlay, Executive Director, mlayjovita@yahoo.com



Tribunal Report: Tanzania


The case of Tanzania brings together interesting elements into the context of a women’s tribunal. On the one hand, the receding glaciers of Mount Kilimanjaro, specific to this region and similarly receding glaciers in Nepal, compound the climate change impact in Tanzania. The frequent floods, droughts and poor harvests in recent years have been major issues of concern as these have brought some impacts to the local communities. These are becoming more than ever imminent evidence of climate change due to evident temperature increases caused by global warming.


Effects of Climate Change on Women
The women shared their experience of droughts, which have existed for about ten years in their area. One woman said that, “despite the existed power relations at household level and oppressions before experiencing climate change, women had a peaceful life as food for families was plenty in terms of milk, meat, natural vegetation provided easy access of vegetables, firewood and water could be accessed close to homes and men were actively involved in pasturing/feeding livestock. Cereal/grains and beans products were easily produced with less effort and abundant in local markets at affordable prices.”
Currently, women are very much stressed with a number of issues due to low production of farm produce, lack of food security, men loitering and excessive drinking (local brew produced mostly by women as their alternative income generating activity) as they could not opt to other economic activities having lost their economic base (livestock died because of the prolonged drought).

As a result, women are facing the following challenges: 
  Increased burden of work load by doing multiple micro businesses to care for family needs
  Women are needing to walk a long distance walk to search for firewood and water
  Increased gender based violence as a result of excessive drinking by men
  Loss of family cohesion as a result of women moving out of the house frequently and putting in longer hours in day. 
  Climate change condition retards efforts of women’s economic empowerment.
  Rainfall patterns in their areas have drastically changed. 
   
General impact of climate change:

Tanzania's economy highly depends on agriculture (including livestock), energy, wildlife, forestry, marine, coastal resources, and others. Agriculture is the dominant sector in Tanzanian economy, providing livelihood, income and employment to over 80% of the population which is around 40 million people and it accounts for around 50 percent of GDP and about 60 percent of export earnings. However, in recent years, the contribution of agricultural sector to GDP has dropped to 26% indicating signs of increasing vulnerability, including decreased production of different crops exacerbated by climatic variability and unpredictability of seasons, erosion of natural resource base and environmental degradation.

The receding glaciers of Mount Kilimanjaro, the frequent floods, droughts and poor harvests in recent years have been major issues of concern as these have brought some impacts to the local communities. These are becoming more than ever imminent evidence of climate change due to evident temperature increases caused by global warming. The frequency of extreme weather events such as El Nino floods in 1997/98 and the recent drought are few but important reminders of the deadly effects of climate change to Tanzania.
The most vulnerable areas/sectors impacted by the effects of climate change include:
• Agriculture - men’s and women’s economy as a result of low production and food security, particularly women as the agricultural farmer.
• Water  -
• Energy

Media:  The tribunal had a strong communications component through local and on-line media and online campaigning to disseminate information about the process and outcomes.  A pre-Tribunal media effort (Nov. 3rd) was made to interview participants and to highlight public discussions on the issues. This added to the efforts of the partnership with InterPress Service media for the region and country.

The Tribunal
The Tribunal was held on 4th November 2011 and key event and issues of the tribunal were publicized from 7th November onwards at the local, national and international levels to foster gender sensitive adaptation and mitigation measures in the Northern Zone and Tanzania as a whole for women’s empowerment and the eradication of poverty.



Background:
Tanzania's economy highly depends on agriculture (including livestock), energy, wildlife, forestry, marine, coastal resources, and others. Agriculture is the dominant sector in Tanzanian economy, providing livelihood, income and employment to over 80% of the population which is around 40 million people and it accounts for around 50 percent of GDP and about 60 percent of export earnings. However, in recent years, the contribution of agricultural sector to GDP has dropped to 26% indicating signs of increasing vulnerability, including decreased production of different crops exacerbated by climatic variability and unpredictability of seasons, erosion of natural resource base and environmental degradation.


The receding glaciers of Mount Kilimanjaro, the frequent floods, droughts and poor harvests in recent years have been major issues of concern as these have brought some impacts to the local communities. These are becoming more than ever imminent evidence of climate change due to evident temperature increases caused by global warming. The frequency of extreme weather events such as El Nino floods  in 1997/98 and the recent drought are few but important reminders of the deadly effects of climate change to Tanzania.
The most vulnerable areas/sectors impacted by the effects of climate change include:-
• Agriculture (men’s and women’s economy as a result of low production and food security)
• Water
• Energy

Effect of Climate Change on Women
The women (beneficiaries of WEEP Project) in Longido (a dominant pastoral community) bitterly shared their experience of droughts, which have existed for about ten years in their area. They say that, “despite the existed power relations at household level and oppressions before experiencing climate change, women had a peaceful life as food for families was plenty in terms of milk, meat, natural vegetation provided easy access of vegetables, firewood and water could be accessed close to homes and men were actively involved in pasturing/feeding livestock. Cereal/grains and beans products were easily produced with less effort and abundant in local markets at affordable prices.”

Currently, women are very much stressed with a number of issues due to low production of farm produce, lack of food security, men loitering and excessive drinking (local brew produced mostly by women as their alternative income generating activity) as they could not opt to other economic activities having lost their economic base (livestock died because of the prolonged drought). As a result of that, women are facing the following challenges: 
·     -- Increased burden of work load by doing multiple micro businesses to carter for family needs, long distance walk to search for firewood and water;
·      --  Increased gender based violence as a result of excessive drinking by men;
·   --Loss of family cohesion as a result of women moving out of the house frequently almost whole day
There is more that can be said especially by rural women on the effect of climate change and measures that have been applied by themselves or different bodies to assist women to adapt to the situation as well as addressing the problem. For example, SASA Foundation is organizing Women’s Tribunal to have women representatives to flag and verbally express their grievance, for the local, national and international communities to act accordingly. 

For more information, contact:   Jovita Mlay, Executive Director, AWEPON  - mlayjovita@yahoo.com  or Rosa Lizarde, Global Coordinator, Feminist Task Force at rosaencasa@aol.com

Uganda


Women's Tribunal:  Gender and Climate Justice:  UGANDA

Date:  October 17, 2011
Location:  Kampala
Organizers:  African Women's Economic & Political Network (AWEPON)
Contact:  Rosemary Lukholo, Executive Director, AWEPON, lukholo@yahoo.com



Tribunal Report: Uganda

African women’s Economic policy Network (AWEPON) spearheaded the organization and implementation of the Climate change Justice Tribunal in Uganda. The tribunal was attended by representatives of NGOs, academia, media, youth and women groups from three districts of Rakai, Bududa and Kampala.

The major objective of the tribunal was identified and this was;
·      To enhance awareness about the impact of climate change on the livelihoods of the vulnerable especially the women in Uganda,
·      To generate massages to be sent to policy makers at national, regional and international levels that will help the affected communities to mitigate and adapt to the effect of climate change.
Major activities included;
·      Capturing women’s voices and taking video footages  on the impact of climate change on the livelihoods of women in three districts of Bududa, Kampala and Rakai.
·      Undertaking a climate Tribunal in Kampala
·      Advocating with the relevant government authorities
·      Reporting back to GCAP, whereby the final report will be submitted in Durban for the Cop 17 activities.

Jurists were selected and these had experience in issues of climate change in Uganda. Their role was to reflect and provide insights during the tribunal after the presentations as well as issue verdict. Communication materials in form of banners and T shirts were developed to be used during the field visits and the following activities including the tribunal day.

A consultant was hired who made a study and drafted a country climate change analysis paper which was presented during the Tribunal.
The field activities were proceeded by a media press conference whereby the activity was officially launched.

AWEPON selected three districts which were most affected by climate change in three areas of draught, floods and land slides, and these districts were Rakai, Kampala and Bududa respectively.

AWEPON teams proceeded to the three districts to take video footage and record women’s voices from the districts. This was achieved through field visits and group for a discussions. Women witnesses were selected during the discussions, from the three districts who were to present experiences and information relating to their specific experiences on climate change in their areas.
All activities were documented in form of reports, video coverage footages, and photographs.

The Tribunal
AWEPON held the tribunal on 31st October 2011 at Imperial Royale Hotel in Kampala. During the Tribunal, the country analysis paper was presented, and the women key witnesses gave their testimonies.

Outcomes and recommendations of the Tribunal
Messages to the International community:
1.     Increased funding to:
a.    undertake gender based research to assess actual impact on the vulnerable especially the women in developing countries including Uganda,
b.    support  developing countries to implement activities that will help vulnerable groups especially the women to adapt and mitigate impact of climate change in developing countries
2.     Ensure all developed countries especially those who contribute to gaseous emissions ratify the climate change international treaties and policies, and implement them,
3.     Ensure effective Monitoring to assess how the countries which signed the ratifications implement them and as required.
Messages to the Regional Policy-makers (East African Community) and National Policy-makers:
       To mainstream climate change adaptation  and mitigation actions in development planning for all ministries,
       To ensure allocation and commitment of enough resources to support the actions above in all sectoral budgets,
       To ensure implementation of these actions at community, local, and national level,
       To promote good governance as a requirement for the success of these interventions.
       To integrate the gender approach to mitigation and adaptation  to climate change in the design, planning and implementation of  policies, programs and projects at all levels that will lead to greater equitable management of resources, and environmental protection.
       In collaboration with civil society and NGOs, to enhance awareness/knowledge and information about climate change and associated impacts among the community especially among the vulnerable groups who also include the women.
       In collaboration with Civil society to hharmonise national coordination of climate change adaptation initiatives including Intensifying on  rain water harvesting technologies,

Meeting with the Ministers (Policy Makers)
A report of the tribunal recommendations was prepared and presented to Ministers and their representatives on 10th November 2011. Eight key Ministries were targeted for the meeting namely; water and environment, Health, Agriculture, Energy, Finance, Trade and Industry, the Planning Authority, ministry of Gender, lab our and Social development and the Ministry for Disaster preparedness.


Background:  CLIMATE CHANGE TRIBUNAL IN KAMPALA - UGANDA IN 2011.
Climate Change has increasingly taken centre stage as a global burden that has in one way or the other contributed to most of the global crises today. It is now widely recognized by regional and International bodies such as the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and other humanitarian International Non Governmental Organizations (INGOs); and that the solution to this growing global ordeal lies in a concerted effort by all stakeholders, countries around the world and individuals to reduce its causes as well as mitigate its impact.



The immediate effect of Climate Change is on agricultural production and food security – the very foundation of livelihood of mankind. Climate change is most felt at grassroots (family) level by mostly women who are considered to be the custodians of food security. Despite this fact, women have little knowledge on how to adapt to it or mitigate its impact on their lives. They even lack resources and means to effectively participate in the climate discourse at local, national and international levels where the climate policies that affect their well-being are made. Since women make up majority of those engaged in Agriculture across Africa, the African Women’s Economic Policy Network (AWEPON) has over the years, been at the forefront to actively engage in enhancing women’s contribution to food security in ways that increase their income as well as preserve the environment.

Uganda is among the most affected countries by climate change in Africa. In this country, there are reports of extreme weather conditions like erratic rainfall patterns leading to flooding and its predisposing factors like floods, thunderstorms and thunder strikes, crop damage, disease outbreaks, and destruction of houses etc, followed by long dry spells leading to shrinking rivers, drying up of wetlands in some areas across the country and crop failure leading to extreme hunger and famine.

The sectors potentially impacted by climate change include agriculture, forests, water resources, coastal resources, human health, as well as energy, industry and transport. In the area of health, Malaria which is responsible for the most deaths in Uganda is already being observed in places such as Kabale district where its prevalence has traditionally been very low.

Notably all afore mentioned results of climate change and more, have a very negative implication on the economic and social livelihoods of especially the vulnerable in society, majority of whom are the women.

Although a lot of general awareness has been undertaken in about the possible dangers and effects of climate change, a lot still needs to be done.


Potential solutions
Some of the potential and practical solutions that have been suggested for Uganda include concerted efforts by all stakeholders in the community. These include;
·       Emphasis on planting of indigenous trees within the general awareness activities for the protection of natural forest resources.
·       Involvement of more local people and especially the women who are the most affected to make them appreciate the importance of forests by giving them the responsibility to ensure that there is no encroachment into the forests,
·       Involvement of local people during forest patrols,
·       Helping local people to mobilize themselves to fight forest fires;  
·     Reward local people for example by giving them timber which has been confiscated during patrols to make them more interested in forest protection.

AWEPON Tribunal on Gender & Climate Change - 2009
In November 2009, AWEPON organized a one day climate tribunal at Grand Imperial hotel in Kampala – Uganda. The purpose of the hearing was to discuss and seek answers to three major questions;
  • What policies should government put in place to help in climate adaptation and mitigation?
  • How can we help mitigate the impact of climate change on the vulnerable especially the women?
  • What should be the government position at Copenhagen and beyond?
The hearing was attended by over 70 participants from all walks of life including civil society and Government bodies. Strong testimonies were given by affected women and other witnesses on the impacts already being felt all over the country from pastoral communities in arid areas to slum dwellers in Kampala city. The unfolding climate chaos was shown in the sad irony that while water is simply drying up in some parts of Uganda, other parts of the country are suffering severe floods.

Testimonies highlighted the following concerns;
  1. Impact of Floods on Women in areas of  Farming, Food Security, Gender, Water and Environment;
North Eastern Uganda
It was noted that in 2007 and 2009, most parts of North Eastern Uganda especially Teso and Gisu  - Bududa regions were flooded for the first time.  Human shelter was washed away along with the crops that would have fed the families for the year.  Houses were reconstructed, but hundreds of thousands of people were affected by famine due to the destruction of the crops. Participants testified that Women were more affected since they depend on agriculture for income and family livelihoods. They are responsible for feeding the children and provide other household basic needs. Anything that obstructs agriculture production, negatively affects women’s socio-economic well-being.

Rakai and Bushenyi
It was noted that in the districts of Rakai and Bushenyi, many of small scale farmers face unpredictable seasonal changes and recommended as follow;  
  • Government to increase investment in agriculture sector to support small domestic agriculture in terms of seeds supply, small-scale irrigation, and food reserves at the community, district and national levels to mitigate climate change catastrophes.
  • National Adaptation Programmes (NAPAs) process to enhance research and capacity building needs for women. Efforts to be made to enhance resilience to related risks through education, training, sharing of information on best practices, introduction of relevant technologies and management practices, and through strengthening of local institutional capacity through bottom up approaches.
Message to Copenhagen Negotiators
  • Developed countries to enhance financing for climate change independent of existing aid commitments, to help vulnerable people in poor countries adapt to changing climates.
  • Industrialised and rich developed countries must cut GHG emissions in rrecognition that the historical cumulative green house gas emissions of developed countries pose a serious threat to women’s social, economic and health related developments and constitutes an additional burden on poverty reduction and frustrates attainment of the Millennium Development Goals. The target is to reach a global emission fall of at least 80% by 2015.
  • Developed countries which have lots of adaptation and mitigation technologies and science should transfer the same to poor countries. The developed countries should also facilitate the development of local adaptation technologies to help especially the struggle of the vulnerable indigenous women to effectively adapt to climate change. 
  • Rich developed countries should commit themselves to building the capacities of poor and vulnerable countries for them to recover, adapt and mitigate climate change.
  • Capacities of meteorological and research departments needs to be enhanced in order to give timely and accurate information to the poor farming women communities.
  • The delegates at COP 15 need to commit themselves to negotiating a fair deal that promotes sustainable agriculture and food security in poor and most vulnerable countries.
  • In order to bring about long term change, the climate change deal must consider providing a framework for involving women/citizens. There is need for wide consultation in a broader debate on issues
The 2009 tribunal messages were sent widely and expectations of the impact are high.


Second Tribunal on Gender & Climate Change
AWEPON will be organizing another tribunal hearing in Kampala – Uganda to focus on more ideas for practical and possible solutions to combat the effects of climate change. The messages generated will be published and sent to the relevant authorities nationally, regionally and internationally; and will also input to the conference presentations that will take place in Durban in November 2011.

Methodology
AWEPON will compile a 30 minutes documentary which will be presented to the participants at the beginning of the workshop. The documentary will depict the impact of climate change in three comparative districts of Bududa, Kampala and Rakai.
-- Testimonies will be presented by 6 expert witnesses (2 per district).
-- 5 jurors will be hired to draft upcoming issues and proposed way forward.


AWEPON will seek more ideas from the participants about how to enhance the existing interventions, and generate new innovative solutions and ideas.
AWEPON will develop and publish advocacy materials which will be used to sensitize and lobby relevant authorities about this issue.
The stakeholders to participate in this tribunal include representatives from the Ministry of East African Affairs, Government Ministers responsible for water, natural resources and environment, Members of Parliament, regional and government planners, the donor community, academia, NGO representatives, private sector and member representatives from Civil society organizations.


For more information, contact:   Rosemary Lukholo, Executive Director, AWEPON  -  lukholo@yahoo.com  or Rosa Lizarde, Global Coordinator, Feminist Task Force at rosaencasa@aol.com