A CALL TO AMPLIFY THE VOICES OF THE AFRICAN WOMEN TOWARDS THE 17TH CONFERENCE OF PARTIES (COP 17) DURBAN , SOUTH AFRICA

For over 10 years of my carrier as a women’s rights activist, I never cease to ponder over the stark reality that the heaviest burdens of deficits in development always falls on women. The data on gender inequality has not changed a bit in favor of women; it is always staggeringly stacked against women. For every bad and ugly challenge whether it is HIV/AIDS, sexual harassment, poverty , disaster, diseases and discrimination of any kind women are always victims and very vulnerable .It appears that vulnerability to any adverse challenge is now wearing a woman’s face –feminization of vulnerability.
Of all the women in the world, African women continues to enjoy a prominent position on the ladder of the most vulnerable to all kinds and forms of negative challenges confronting the world in the 21st century including climate change- the latest entrant to the litany of challenges which is seriously confronting women now. The African woman is triply vulnerable to the impacts of climate change firstly, because she is poor, secondly, because she is from the continent adjudged to be the most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change and thirdly because she has been excluded from all climate change projects in Africa.
Though, her vulnerability may have limited her in voicing her concerns and needs at the international negotiations on Climate change but not to the extent of been overwhelmed to the point of silence about her needs and concerns. The time to amplify the voices of the African women at the international negotiations on climate change has come. There is no better place to raise the voices of the African women than during the United Nations Convention on Climate change (UNFCCC) 17th conference of Parties which holds on the African soil later this year.
As mobilization for COP 17 gathers momentum, I call on all of my colleagues on the voices of our future to join me in amplifying the voices of the African women on the way to COP 17 Durban, South Africa. Let our voices be heard in all corners of the world and especially to the hearing of developed countries negotiators that continuous release of Green House Gases (The cause of Climate change) is hurting the African women more.
That gender justice for the African woman is about ensuring adequate adaptation funds are urgently released by those (Developed Countries) who have caused climate changes to support those (Developing countries) who are already experiencing the devastating impacts of Climate change of which African women forms the majority.