H.E Ms Lena Ek- Minister for the Environment, Sweden and Co- Chairperson of Global Network of Women Ministers and Leaders for the Environment;
Your Excellencies Ministers and Deputy Ministers;
Government representatives;
Representatives from various UN agencies including the UN Secretariat, UNDP, UNEP, UN Women;
Representatives from Research and Development institutions;
Representatives from Non-Governmental Organisations;
Ladies and gentlemen;
Good morning.
Deputy Minister during the Second High Level Forum on Gender and Environment hosted by the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP).
I am gratified to welcome women from all corners of the world to this momentous Second High Level Forum on Gender and Environment hosted by the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) and the Network of Women Ministers and Leaders for the Environment (NWMLE).
The second High Level Forum on Gender and Environment takes place on the eve of the first Universal Session of the Governing Council/Global Ministerial Forum of UNEP here in Nairobi, Kenya scheduled to ensue from 18 to 22 February 2013.
Last year during COP 18 in Qatar, the Network of Women Ministers and Leaders for the Environment, decided to host the second High Level Forum on Gender and Environment to discuss emerging gender issues in transforming sustainable environmental management and to make concrete recommendations for implementation at national, regional and international levels.
The theme for the Forum is “Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment: transforming sustainable environmental management”.
The objective of the second High Level Forum on Gender and Environment is to discuss the themes under consideration of the first Universal session of the UNEP Governing Council, from a gender point of view and to decide on a list of concrete priority actions that the international community and individual governments need to address in order to improve the lives of women and men.
The forum aims to:
- Exchange and deepen the knowledge base on gender and the environment, to meet challenges and identify opportunities for integration of gender considerations that will ensure environmental sustainability;
- Suggest ways to reinforce capacities of governments and Civil Society Organisations in gender responsive environmental management;
- Formalising a governance framework for the NWMLE to enable it achieve its objectives from national to international levels.
As women we feel that such a forum is of vital importance and would never take our eyes off the ball but would further strengthen and deepen the overall objective of the Network of Women Ministers and Leaders for the Environment, to promote gender-responsive sustainable environmental management within the Network of Women Ministers and Leaders for the Environment, and enhance representation and involvement of women in decision-making in the areas of environment and sustainable development at all levels.
Allow me to reiterate the fact that it is incumbent to the Network to focus on the vigorous implementation of the decisions taken at RIO+20 and recently in Doha, Qatar during COP 18. The implementation of these decisions would serve as a vehicle to communicate and report directly to our constituencies.
Last year during our meeting in Doha, the Network of Women Ministers and Leaders for the Environment noted the following outcomes:
- Implementation of projects that will benefit women on the ground;
- Database of existing women led projects;
- Information sharing with women on the ground and simplify it to their languages. A need to give women an opportunity to share their experiences based on indigenous knowledge, which can be tapped and used to shape policies for environmental management and enable their participation;
- Appointment of a dedicated global coordinator and secretariat that will ensure effective operation of the network and provide support to the regions and sub-regions including coordinating all global network meetings and compile reports;
- The formation of regional and sub-regional governance structures which should be preferably led by Ministers and Deputy Ministers, also the formations of national structures which should be coordinated within the ministry of environmental Affairs;
- Securing a dedicated funding for the coordination of the global network;
- Institutionalisation of the Network into the UNEP structures and COPs.
Mary Robinson of the Mary Robinson Foundation once said,
I quote “So we campaigned very hard, and the breakthrough was not just for me but for women. It was a great boost for the confidence of women”.
Conclusion
In conclusion, I would like to extend our most sincere gratitude to the various UN agencies and all the partners of the Network for the continuous cooperation and working relationship.
I also like to thank my co-chair H.E Ms Lena Ek, the UNEP staff and the support staff in our ministries in Sweden and South Africa for navigating this ship in the right direction.
Last but not least, the Executive Director of UNEP, Mr Achim Steiner, for the recognition afforded to the Network to be part of the major events prior to the first Universal Session of the Governing Council/Global Ministerial Forum of UNEP here in Nairobi
I welcome you all.
Enquiries:
Peter Mbelengwa
Cell: 082 611 8197 / 082 873 8435
