Building climate resilient societies through empowerment of women

Participants at the UN Women Multi-Country Office Workshop.
Photo courtesy of UN Women Africa

The South Africa Multi-Country Office (MCO) of UN Women recently hosted a workshop on ‘Building climate resilient societies: Strategies towards a gender responsive climate change agenda’, 18-20 May, 2016. The purpose of the work is to strengthen women’s voices to advocate for gender sensitive climate agreements, national adaptation plans and regional frameworks as well as furthering the outcomes of the International Climate Change process by collectively advancing the gender and climate agenda with partners in civil society and government.

Cath Traynor, from Natural Justice’s Climate Change Programme participated in the workshop which included members from civil society, the media and small holder women farmers from South Africa, Lesotho, Swaziland and Botswana. The first day focused on setting the scene and Ms Anne Githuku-Shongwe, UN Women Representative shared that the UN team was meeting to discuss the current El Niño phenomena and climate change, and indeed days later the UN General-Secretary, Ban Ki-moon announced the appointment of 2 Special Envoys on El Niño and Climate. Ms. Githuku-Shongwe shared the UN Women focus areas in the region which include renewable energy, livelihood issues including HIV/AIDS, gender-based violence and women’s political representation, and the need for gender-responsive budgeting. Ms, Ayanda Mvimbi, Programme Specialist UN Women South Africa MCO, then introduced an overview of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the role of women as change agents, she summarised pivotal gains for women as well as key issues such as adequate representation of women and gender in different strategic frameworks relating to climate change, gender mainstreaming, and key opportunities for engagement.

Participants finalizing the declaration

During the workshop rural women then shared the impact of climate change and their agency, and commission groups discussed key questions and emerging themes. Rural women smallholders shared challenges regards access to land and resources and energy, that the burden of the loss of livelihoods through climate change is falling on women, their concern that several Southern African Development Community (SADC) countries have declared national drought emergencies, that rural women are excluded from decision-making processes, and that the issue of climate change on rural women smallholders requires urgent attention. A ‘declaration by rural women, smallholder farmers organisations and supporting civil society and media in the southern Africa region’ was produced, which highlighted women’s concerns, urged Heads of States and governments at the next SADC Summit in August 2016 to listen to the voice of women, implement existing commitments and policies of international and regional conventions that are pro rural smallholders and gender equity, to ensure that under the UNFCCC Paris Agreement, nationally determined contributions (NDCs) are ambitious and address gender inequality, and for the full and effective participation of rural women smallholders in policy making, implementation and monitoring processes. Action on land ownership by women, food sovereignty, support and legal protection for indigenous knowledge systems and knowledge holders rights, the right to water, and the provision of transparent information on climate, services and rights, amongst others, was also called for.

UN Women Representative, Ms Anne
Githuku-Shongwe receives the
declaration and states she will
ensure it reaches the relevant
stakeholders

Less than a week after the workshop the SADC Secretariat established a ‘Regional El-Niño Response Team’, SADC noted that “At least 27 million people, translating to about 9 per cent of the SADC’s 293 million population, are already affected by the current disaster and this figure is likely to increase” and that the 2015/2016 El Niño phenomenon is affecting livelihoods and the quality lives of especially women. The Response Team will prepare a regional drought appeal with the aim to mobilise resources to meet the needs of people requiring humanitarian support in the Region.

Food and Climate Justice Research Validation Workshop Held

Natural Justice's Cath Traynor of joined Oxfam and partners at a Research Validation Workshop, on 8th July 2014, Pretoria Johannesburg. During the workshop a number of preliminary research pieces were presented, these included a review of the effects of climate change and adaptation mechanisms on women and small-holder farmers in Africa, a review of SADC level policies and protocols, and investments in agriculture, that affect women small-holder farmers. The preliminary findings were discussed and critiqued by participants. 

Country level research reports from several SADC countries were presented, and the specific climate change impacts, challenges and opportunities facing women small-holder farmers highlighted. A clear picture emerged, that women small-holder farmers, the majority of whom are reliant upon rainfed-agriculture, are particularly vulnerable to the negative impacts of climate change.  Although there are some supportive policies, the realization of these on the ground is challenging at the national level.  Participants discussed ways to improve and develop the research and brain stormed potential policy products which could be developed and used for advocacy.

The Origins of the Khoekhoen in Southern Africa

Prof Smith addressing participants

Natural Justice met with Professor Andrew B. Smith, emeritus professor in the Department of Archaeology at the University of Cape Town, Cecil le Fleur, the Chairperson of the National Khoi & San Council also attended the meeting.

Prof Smith has specialized in the origins and development of herding societies of Africa, he has excavated key sites and worked with Khoekhoen (Khoi) descents in South Africa. Prof Smith introduced the Khoekhoen, who were aboriginal herders in the Western and Southern Cape, South Africa and Namibia. The Khoekhoen were similar to other transhumant pastoralists, their livelihoods were based on stock and they moved with their herds on a seasonal basis. 

Prof. Smith pieced together evidence from archaeological excavation sites, including animal bones, pottery shards, and stone tools, which together with an examination of the linguistic origins of the very diverse Khoekhoen language, and genetic DNA analysis of Khoi descendants, indicates that the Khoekhoen herders are linked to East Africa. The various evidence suggests that the Khoekhoen arrived in the Western Cape approximately 2200 years before present, and that they had migrated with their herds, which were predominately sheep, from the North, probably East Africa.

Convening Stakeholders: An Inspiring Solution for Protected Areas Governance in Southern Africa

Protected areas can and do contribute to both improved livelihoods and improved conservation, but biodiversity continues to decline across most the Southern African region. A new strategy for protected areas for this region is therefore urgently needed. 

This is one of the most important messages highlighted by the participants at the High Level Dialogue on Improving Protected Area Governance for Livelihood Security and Biodiversity in Southern Africa (21-22 May 2014, Windhoek, Namibia). A report of the dialogue is available here. More on the Dialogue.

Pillars in Practice: Multi-Stakeholder Forum on Business and Human Rights in Zimbabwe

On 20 June 2013, Stephanie Booker (Natural Justice) attended the "Pillars in Practice: Multi-Stakeholder Forum on Business and Human Rights" in Zimbabwe, held by Zimbabwe Environmental Law Association (ZELA) in partnership with the Danish Institute for Human Rights (DIHR) and Social Accountability International (SAI).  

"Pillars in Practice" is an 18-month initiative to advance the UN Guiding Principles on business and human rights.  The Project's objective is to "establish the trianing capacity of local civil society partners to sustainably promote and assist companies, governments, trade unions and other non-government organisations in the implementation of the Guiding Principles, to operationalise the "Protest, Respect and Remedy" Framework.

Joined by more than 75 participants from Zimbabwean businesses, government agencies, civil society organisations and communities, the multi-stakeholder forum was an opportunity for participants to be introduced to the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights and for participants to discuss the major issues affecting human rights with respect to mining.  Participants made concrete recommendations for government and business and suggested steps forward for stakeholders in the implementation of the Guiding Principles.  You can read the recommendations here.

More information can be found on the "Pillars in Practice" facebook page, or the Danish Institute for Human Rights webpage here.

Photo: Courtesy of "Pillars in Practice" facebook page.

Natural Justice attends Fracking and Agrarian Transformation Dialogue

On 22 and 23 May 2013, Stephanie Booker of Natural Justice attended the Fracking and Agrarian Transformation Dialogue hosted by the Southern Cape Land Committee (SCLC) in Steytlerville, Eastern Cape.  Attended by 55 community members, farmworkers, local and national non-government organisations, environmental activists, academics and international guests, the dialogue was an opportunity to discuss potential fracking in the Karoo and unite together to form a common viewpoint on fracking.  The objectives of the two-day dialogue were three-fold:

• To strengthen the voice of local communities who bear the brunt of the impact of fracking on their health and their environment;
• To develop a coordinated fracking response with a transformative agenda;
• To link with other national and international initiatives aimed at mobilising and strengthening the voice of people whose lives are impacted upon by mining, oil and gas.

On the first day of the dialogue, presenters discussed the complex context within which the fracking debate takes place in South Africa, as well as particular insights on agriculture and food, the environment and workers' rights.  The second day was spent discussing participation in decision-making, Southern African solidarity, the impacts of fracking on communities around the world, including the U.S. and Europe.

A clear statement on fracking was agreed to by participants and this can be found here.

Natural Justice thanks Southern Cape Land Committee and the participants of the dialogue for an insightful meeting.

Major Khoe and San Genome Study

via SABC.co.za

A genomic study has revealed that the Khoe and San communities of southern Africa are “descendants of the earliest diversification event in the history of all humans - some 100 000 years ago, well before the 'out-of-Africa' migration of modern humans.” Over 200 individuals from around southern Africa participated in the study with around 2.3 million DNA variants analysed per individual. The research was conducted by a consortium of international scientists. 

Entitled ‘Genomic variation in seven Khoe-San groups reveals adaptation and complex African history’, the study has been published in the renowned scientific journal, Science. The genome-wide data will be shared widely. 

The report in Science can be accessed here. SABC’s story on the study can be accessed here.

New SANBio Guidelines

The Southern Africa Network for Biosciences (SANBio), which is under the New African Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) of the African Union, has released new Traditional Knowledge and Plant Genetic Resources Guidelines. Natural Justice’s Kabir Bavikatte served as an external reviewer of the guidelines. 

From the Executive Summary, “These Guidelines were developed as a result of growing concerns of a lack of policies and laws in several SADC countries that govern the use of TK, biological resources and benefit sharing, despite the fact that these countries have signed the CBD. As a result of these concerns, the African Ministerial Conference on Science and Technology in 2003 adopted an outline of a “plan of action” now known as Africa’s Science and Technology Consolidated Plan of Action (CPA). The CPA, as well as decisions by the SADC leaders, emphasized the need to develop a framework for strengthening the capacity to harness and protect biological resources, as well as those associated with traditional knowledge, by encouraging co-operation in science and technology through harmonized policies and regulatory frameworks.” 

The guidelines include sections on Traditional Knowledge, Access and Benefit Sharing, Recognition and Protection of Farmers’ Rights, Intellectual Property Rights, Stakeholders, and Cross-Cutting Issues. The guidelines can be accessed here.