High-powered conference discusses women and the environment

By Jenny Newenham In White River

“Be careful how you treat women, as God will count the tears. Women come from the rib of man – not from the feet to be walked upon, and not from the head to be superior to; but from the rib, under the arm to be protected, and close to heart to be loved.” This was what Ms Hussan (minister – Zanzibar) had to say in her address to the Women and the Environment Conference held in White River from August 6-8,2006. The conference was the 2nd of its kind and marked the 50th Anniversary of the Women’s march to freedom.

 There was an amazingly good turn out of participants-approximately 400 people. While the majority of the audience was women, the conference was graced with the presence of a few men as well. The addressees hailed from all over the country and from all different walks of life: a true representation of the biodiversity of the country. DYNAMIC SPEAKERS

A number of high-powered speeches were made by deputy ministers and international guest speakers: Rejoice Mabudafhasi (deputy minister of environmental affairs and tourism - SA) reminded everyone that environmental values should be taught as an integral part of one’s cultures.

She believes women can contribute to the conservation of our environment in a unique manner, due to women’s ability to persevere through hardships in order to support and provide for their families. Women were encouraged to be innovative in their approaches to environmental issues. The dynamic guest speaker, Thandi Shongwe (minister of tourism and environment- Swaziland) recognized the critical role women have to play in environmental management. The challenge is to empower women in such a way as to contribute towards economic growth and social development.

“We must answer how we will raise long term productivity and ecological sustainability of Africa’s land resources and promotion of a sustainable, internationally competitive and efficient agricultural sector focusing on the need for women leadership in agricultural and land management reform” she said. Elizabeth Thabethe (deputy minister trade and industry- SA) spoke on the issue of gender and women economic empowerment.

She highlighted the key deliverables of the Strategic Framework on Gender and Women economic empowerment. “Part of the economic deliverables that will come out of this strategy is the launch of the long awaited Women’s Fund and the recently released women entrepreneurs directory for procurement purposes”.

Ms Hussan (minister – Zanzibar) kept her fascinating keynote address short and to the point. She shared the environmental issues experienced by the women of Zanzibar with the conference. 70 percent of the women on Zanzibar are involved in farming initiatives, whether commercial or subsistence. These initiatives are on land and in the sea, for example the growing of seaweed.

The farmers in this region have to regularly deal with environmental issues such as exposure to pesticides, over utilisation of resources and reduction of land. Ms Hussan stated that six to eight metres of land on Zanzibar has been lost to the sea due to the impact of global warming, and since the tsunami a further two metres has been lost.

Ntopile Kganyago (deputy minister public works - SA) addressed the conference on women in the construction industry. He spoke of the extended Public Works Program and its goals of achieving women in the environment equality within seven years. He stressed the fact that the emphasis of this program is to create jobs, and to provide skills and training to as many people as possible, in particular to women – “a little bit for a lot of people”.

This particular project’s aim is not to create longterm job sustainability. People are encouraged to form partnerships and to start small and grow. Kganyago credited women for their role in the second economy of the nation.

Buhle Mthetwa (CEO of NAFCOC), Mumsie Gumede (CEO Wessa) and Nobulumko Nkondlo (Chairperson National Youth Commission) addressed the conference on the NGO perspective, the economics of environmental management and the role of SA business in women empowerment; and the perspective of the youth on women in the environment. All the speakers highlighted the valuable role women have to play in the environment. “Women are the backbone of the economy”, deputy minister Thabethe affirmed. It was acknowledged that women live very closely to the environment, especially those that live a subsistence lifestyle. These women are often the first to bear the brunt of environmental impacts (whether stochastic or anthropogenic in nature).

The participants then attended one of the six round table / work shop sessions. These sessions focused on critical issues affecting women ranging from environmental governance, economic development as well as water, energy and agriculture projects. A capacity building workshop on youth and environmental projects and campaigns was also convened. The outcomes of these discussion groups were highlighted in the conference statement and proposed action plan, which was chaired by Pam Yako (director general of environmental affairs and tourism).

The progress made since the 1st Women and the Environment Conference held last year included:

• The drafting of the National Strategy for Sustainable Development

• The establishment of “Indalo Yethu” the national campaign to mobilise and raise environmental awareness. • The production of the first ever State of the Environment Report – focusing on the youth.

• Holding two provincial conferences to localise the decisions that were taken in Mogale City (at the 1st WandE conference). While significant progress has been made the following challenges were highlighted: • Improving access to information for youth and young women in particular

• Better integration and co-operation with other public and private entities to improve on implementation

• Capacity building and support for community based organisations and civil society. ACTION PLAN The action plan “Empowering Women for Environmental Action” recommended and recommitted to take the following actions to further implement the decisions taken at Mogale City:

• Capacity building for women and the youth (this included supporting of civil society organizations, establishing a capacity building fund, and prioritising emerging issues like climate change and desertification)

• Youth Development (including piloting a youth mentorship and volunteer programme) • Information sharing (including newsletters, reports, links with the media and other