The South African delegation, currently attending the Rio +20 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, Rio De Janeiro, Brazil was overjoyed as Ms Rejoice Mabudafhasi the Deputy Minister of Water and Environmental Affairs, received the Global Award for Women Leadership in Sustainable Development, at a celebratory cocktail reception and award ceremony that aims to capture the spirit and momentum of women’s and gender champions’ efforts toward equality and sustainability over the last ten years.
The Award which is awarded for esteem work and dedication and bestowed in Memorium of Ms Marie Aminata Khan previous Executive Head of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and Human Right activist.
In recognition of your extra-ordinary effort and contribution towards equality and sustainability, we request you to accept this award, as our gesture of appreciation and inspiration, said Ms Cate Owren, currently Executive Director Of Women Environment and Development Organisation (WEDO)which jointly hosted the awards with the International Union of the Conservation of Nation (IUCN) and Global Gender and Climate Alliance (GGCA).
In her acceptance of the award, Ms Mabudafhasi said, “I have never seen my contribution to women empowerment, and environmental protection as a an award seeking activity, for me it simply pushes me to do more for the plight of other women”, “I however wish to that the sponsors and hosts for such an honour, which simple means more work for me” she said.
The awards comes amidst mounting pressures from gender and women’s group on the negotiating and developing partners to increase and scale up interventions aimed at the emancipation of women, including the “women MDGs” of Water, Sanitation, Infant mortality, and reproductive health etc. a move that could see stronger language and commitment on gender issues in the summit outcomes agreement, as it get adopted on Friday 22 June.
Meanwhile the Rio+ 20 Summit, which started yesterday continues until tomorrow Friday 22 June, and is expected to adopt a Political Declaration and a Framework for Action on the Green Economy, and outline the process of alignment and expansion of the Millennium Development Goals which matures in 2015.
South Africa hosted the pre-cursor to the current conference, the 2002, World Summit on Sustainable Development, which adopted the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation, laying a foundation for global action to meet the various targets as outlined in the MDGs
For media enquiries contact:
Mr Peter Mbelengwa
Cell: 082 611 8197
E-mail: pmbelengwa@enviroment.gov.za
Blessing Manale
E-mail: bmanale@environment.gov.za
Accolades for South Africa as Deputy Minister of Water and Environmental Affairs and Water bows for Sustainability Leadership Awards
