Statement of The African Women’s Groups at the Fourth Conference on Climate Change and Development in Africa: Marrakech, Morocco
Africa Can Feed Africa
PREAMBLE
We, the African Women Groups who gathered in the Marrakech, the city of Morocco for the fourth conference on climate change and development in Africa with the theme “Africa Can Feed Africa Now” translating climate knowledge into actions that took place from 9th to 10th October 2014, express our gratitude to the organizers of the conference for the opportunity to work together for the development of our continent with development partners, leaders and committed people from all over the world.
We applaud the decision of the meeting of the Committee of African Heads of State and Government on Climate Change (CAHOSCC) resolution Assembly/AU/Dec538 (xx111) to specifically initiate a programme that focuses on addressing the challenges of climate change that impacts on Women in Africa.
We are witnessing greater commitment of our leaders to addressing the challenges and impact of climate change, which is threatening our eco-systems, and the concerns of our continent for the survival. We further applaud the emphasis put by our leaders on women’s, youth and civil society participation and inclusion on all climate change initiatives.
While we appreciate and welcome the laudable initiatives of our heads of states and governments to ensuring that Africa Can Feed Africa,
We call on our governments;
§ To ensure the provision and means for the full realisation and implementation of these worthy initiatives and resolutions.
§ Development partners and other relevant stakeholders to support gender research and full documentation of impact of climate change on gender; build the capacity of women to participate in key decision making processes;
§ We appreciate the gradual but slow advancement and transformation of African women’s access to formal education and technology and call upon African governments, to tap into these changes and increase women’s access to productive resources such as land, transfer of and enhancement of indigenous technology, credit, fertilizers etc.
§ Integrate gender into climate change policies and agreement, which takes into consideration the different needs of men and women.
§ African Can Feed Africa but this cannot be realistically achieved without women’s involvement. We call for the transformation of the gender roles, inequalities between men and women in terms of access, control and ownership of reproductive resources.
§ We fully support the focus on renewable energy and energy efficiency, especially being aware about the devastating consequences of women vulnerability to energy poverty. We call upon the governments to take cognizance of the negative impacts of renewable energy such as big hydropower plants or mono crop plantations for biofuels, which exacerbate the suffering of women farmers
§ We call upon our governments to ensure stakeholders engagement and especially public participation, including women participation – is crucial in the design and implementation of affordable, available and accessible sustainable renewable and energy efficiency solutions.
§ We route for the strengthening of the African Working Group on Gender and Climate Change, a body that is crucial in the mitigation, adaptation and loss and damage of climate change actions in the continent.
In conclusion, we, African women affirm our commitment to ensuring that Africa feeds Africa through pragramatic gender responsive interventions to Climate Change.
Priscilla M Achakpa
On behalf of the African Working Group on Gender and Climate Change (AWGGCC)
8th-10thOctober 2014, Marrakech, Morocco
