African nations tasked on women, indigenous people inclusion in climate policy, decision making

African countries and the global community have been asked to integrate women and indigenous communities into climate policy and decision making process.

A representative of the NatureNews Africa Advisory Board, Mrs Hawe Hamman Bouba, gave this advice on Thursday, at the Hero of Environment Action for Development (HEAD) Awards held in Shehu Musa Yar`Adua Centre in Abuja.

Bouba, who was giving her remarks on the theme ‘’Climate financing for sustainable environment in Nigeria,’’ decried lack of inclusion of women, indigenous communities and youths in various countries policy and decision making.

She said that the outcome of the COP27 held in Egypt did not address salient issues like developing significant steps to curb emissions and tracking progress on adaptation.

In her words, ‘’Climate change represent the most challenging aspect of our time. It will therefore require a holistic approach to provide capacity options of contributions. Women and men are experiencing climate change differently around the world affecting the abilities of individuals to adapt of which 70% toll are women.

‘’Women, indigenous people and communities are most affected. Women are responsible for gathering food production and collecting of water that are usually increasingly scarce. With climate change, these are becoming difficult with extreme weather condition such as drought and flood. Despite women being disproportionally affected by climate change, they play a crucial role in climate adaptation.

‘’Indigenous people have the knowledge and understanding of what is needed to adapt and to come up with practical solution, yet they are largely untapped resources, restricted rights, lack of access to financial resources, training and technology, and limited access to political making often prevent them from playing a full role in tacking climate change and other environmental challenges.’’

Bouba, in her submission, advised that implicating indigenous people, local communities, women and youths in decision making at all levels of the climate discourse can lead to successful and low term solutions to climate change.

She further advised that, ‘At national and local levels, countries should streamline adaptations strategies in their action plans. At regional level, I am not aware of the African Union’s activities on climate change, I think it is time for the AU to wake up and step into this fight.

“ Local countries and private sectors can also support to raise finance for climate action.

“Capacity building, funding of civil society organisations, and inclusion of the media is also encouraged.”

She also commended Naturenews Africa for bringing a theme that is addressing climate finance, which said that, “ It came at a better time to address the outcome of the COP27.”