-Shaping a Just and Inclusive Future Towards a Sustainable and Equitable World Amid Worsening Global Temperatures
By Davis Buyondo
Kigali, Rwanda
The MenEngage Africa Symposium 2023 in Kigali, Rwanda, on Friday, concluded on a positive note, bringing together people from all across Africa with a shared goal, which is ‘to make men more involved in addressing Climate Change and empowering young leaders’. The main aim is to create a future where things are fair for everyone, and everyone’s opinions and lives matter.
This comes at a time when climate change mercilessly erodes the right to health, education, sustenance, clean water, and sanitation. It wreaks havoc on livelihoods, obliterating the foundations of social protection and exacerbating existing socio-economic and gender disparities, plunging women and girls into the abyss of suffering.
July 2023 emerged as the hottest month ever documented. According to Antonio Guterres, the Director General of the United Nations, the world is staggering on the brink of climatic upheaval with warning alarm bells tolling in the background.
“The era of global warming has ended, the era of global ‘boiling’ has arrived. Climate change is here. It is terrifying. And it is just the beginning,” he cautioned.
According to the symposium, the repercussions of climate change on human society, as well as the capacity to mitigate and adapt to them, are profoundly influenced by social factors, notably gender.
It further indicated that the presence of climate change has persistently extended its reach, subtly seeping into the core of human existence, affecting the intricate network of factors such as social, economic, and environmental, that support life.
From the purity of clean air to the safety of potable water, the bounty of sufficient food, the sanctity of secure shelter, the foundation of livelihoods, the bedrock of equality, and the lifeline of access to quality healthcare and robust social support structures – all are imperilled.
Various sessions, discussions, and activities culminated in the creation of a significant declaration, one that MenEngage member organisations in Africa are poised to embrace and diligently pursue implementation in their collective efforts to combat the adverse impacts of climate change.
The ramifications of climate disasters encompass a range of critical issues. Those that came up at the event were heightened risks of gender-based violence against women and girls, diminished availability of maternal and child healthcare services, limitations in accessing HIV/AIDS assistance, as well as services related to Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR). Furthermore, we witness an upsurge in child marriages and early, unintended pregnancies, disproportionately affecting vulnerable populations.
In addition, climate-related disruptions disrupt the availability of comprehensive healthcare services, jeopardizing both the quality of life and human dignity. Access to crucial services like contraception, safe abortion care, and testing and treatment for sexually transmitted infections (STIs) becomes obstructed.
Delegates speak
Sariaka Nantenaina, the Chairperson MenEngage Africa & NGO for Capacity Building For Communities, Madagascar, maintains that issues such as maternal health also face adverse consequences due to increased exposure to elevated temperatures, posing higher risks.
Moreover, she added, access to safe water during pregnancy and childbirth dwindles in the face of climate-induced challenges. These circumstances underscore the pressing need for a comprehensive and equitable response to the multifaceted health and well-being impacts of climate change.
According to Yisito Kayinga Muddu, the Chairperson MenEngage Uganda, climate change affects the social, economic and environmental determinants of health -clean air, safe drinking water, sufficient food, secure shelter, livelihoods, equality and access to quality health care and social support structures etc.
This phenomenon not only corrodes the basic right to health but also diminishes opportunities for education, access to sustenance, clean water, and sanitation. Moreover, it disrupts livelihoods and critical social safety nets, further intensifying existing socio-economic gaps and gender disparities.
Regrettably, he noted, it is women and girls who bear the harshest consequences of this crisis, enduring its most severe repercussions. Unfortunately, the bad effects of climate change are really big, and they don’t affect everyone the same way.
However, the Diana Byali – Giving Hope Foundation & Vice Chair of MenEngage Uganda, highlighted the impact of climate change on basic human rights, like the right to be healthy, get an education, have enough to eat, access clean water, and have a safe and clean place to live.
It also causes problems for jobs and systems that help people when things go wrong, making things even harder for people who were already struggling. “Climate change extends beyond environmental impacts; it is intricately linked to societal matters, particularly those related to gender,” she noted.
Josephine Mukwendi from Sonke Gender Justice, a Non-governmental organization in Johannesburg, South Africa, said the health problems caused by climate change are very complicated, according to Mukwendi.
They include a bunch of diseases, some of which are very common globally, like HIV and TB. These diseases get even trickier to deal with because of other issues like waterborne illnesses and long-term breathing problems.
The stresses that climate change puts on our lives, like losing jobs or homes, make it harder for people to stay healthy and fight off diseases. “Unfortunately, those who are already most vulnerable in our society bear the brunt of the harshest consequences of climate disasters,’ Mukwendi added.
Based on his experience, Mukwendi noted, the impact of climate change is profoundly uneven and inequitable. Different communities experience, respond to and cope with the climate crisis and its related vulnerabilities in vastly different ways.
Speaking at the event, Chantal Umuhoza, Global South-led Transnational Feminist Alliance (RESURJ), Rwanda, stated that they are resolute in their campaign for climate justice and action within a social justice framework that addresses the diverse needs of all populations. This encompasses climate response policies and disaster interventions that prioritise inclusivity and equity.
The organisation also advocates for community-centred, locally informed approaches, regular and accurate monitoring, data availability, and access, and capacity-building across the continent. Furthermore, she added, the convention underscored the urgent need to address the coloniality embedded within climate change disasters.
“The enduring colonial legacy, sustained by global racial capitalism, the dispossession of indigenous lands, and the burden of climate debts, casts a suffocating shadow over the prospects and potentials of impacted communities,” Umuhoza.
Decolonising Climate Change
To counter these deeply entrenched issues, the symposium further called for the decolonisation of climate change, according to the delegates.
This involves confronting the complexities of colonialism, imperialism, capitalism, international development, and geopolitics that contribute to ongoing colonial dynamics through existing global governance structures, discursive framings, proposed solutions, and interventions.
As the symposium concluded, the participants issued a rallying cry to climate defenders, civic actors, researchers, multilateral agencies, community leaders, corporations, states and the media as the fourth estate.
They urge all stakeholders to champion Africa’s rightful place in future COP meetings, without compromising the principles of gender equity, health, and security for its people.
However, the event paid a heartfelt tribute to human rights, gender, and climate defenders, both formal and informal humanitarian workers, who continue to provide vital relief to communities affected by climate disasters.
“These dedicated individuals embody the spirit of resilience, solidarity, and hope, shining a light on the path towards a more just and sustainable world. In addition, we thank the local media for pushing our agenda,’ the declaration stated.
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