Climate Change: Africa CSW Accuse New York Counterparts for Sidelining Them, Using African Challenges for Individual Gains
By Elizabeth Angira
Worth Noting:
- Ms Kachambwa said that there was need for African women to get an alternative space since the main CSW is dominated by a few individual seekers.
- “We need to convene, see how women can be convened. We don’t live single lives, the way we understand this whole framing of complexity, the whole climate change space, climate change has to be through a rigorous, we are not creating space of our problems but this whole thing started with colonial education assumption that it has to come from the West,” she said.
- CSW itself, Kachambwa said is multilateral, “which means that only members can negotiate.
Over 60 African women who attends the inaugural 4-day 66th session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW66) in Nairobi, Kenya have accused their New York counterparts for using African Challenges to satisfy their individual interests.
The CSW that is annually organized in New York has sidelined African women, by not only limiting their participation but also suffocating and silencing their views.
Led by Memory Kachambwa, the Executive Director of the African Women’s Development and Communication Network (FEMNET), said that it’s time for African women to be heard other than being used by individuals, foreign countries to gain their personal goals.
Ms Kachambwa, during the conference, said that CSW has so far held 65 sessions since inception but have never moved away from New York yet African women are restricted to attend.
“They give you a 10-page application for Visa and at last deny you they are just frustrating us, let the venue be changed why is it only in New York, we won’t allow to be undermined,” they said adding,
“We have excluded over the years. We need to be honest only the previledged few are going to New York where CSW is always held, yet we are speaking for rural women at grass root levels for example this year’s theme directly affects Africa because we the the victims of Climate change,”
The major CSW66 is taking place in New York between March 14 and 25 under the theme; “Achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls in the context of climate change, environmental and disaster risk reduction policies and programs” however FEMNET organised a parallel event in Nairobi running between March 14 and 17, under the same theme.
Ms Kachambwa said that there was need for African women to get an alternative space since the main CSW is dominated by a few individual seekers.
“We need to convene, see how women can be convened. We don’t live single lives, the way we understand this whole framing of complexity, the whole climate change space, climate change has to be through a rigorous, we are not creating space of our problems but this whole thing started with colonial education assumption that it has to come from the West,” she said.
CSW itself, Kachambwa said is multilateral, “which means that only members can negotiate.
“The whole year we are all talking green but we also want to connect the dots, we state many demands for this to change and start working,” she said
She wondered why foreign countries are wrongly collecting African Data, “why are they generating Data on our behalf which they use in their own favor,” she said.
She cited that they have influenced how the world should be and the struggle for equality continues hence 66 years ago, when the CSW was created, it had the underlying vision to be a multilateral space for the freedom of women.
According to her, CSW has however slowly been closing as a space where gender equality advocates, women’s rights and feminist organizations can influence negotiations, policy and norm setting on issues that affect their lived realities. CSOs have been methodologically excluded from consultations at country, regional and international level.
Speaking at the event, Melania Chiponda a Researcher/Climate and Gender Justice Activist, Zimbabwe wondered why foreigners assume to know African problems than Africans themselves.
“Different forms of violence against women and girls have existed for the last 1000 years, but the problem of #Climate Change directly affects us, we don’t need the technology and these issues of people sitting in America and devise solutions for USS what we need involving women from Africa and a clear Political will our governments should take a clear Political position towards Tackling Climate Change,”
“I saw a serious joke where a Swedish girl refused to go to school because of Climate change, we are missing school because our communities are flooding, we don’t have food, we have climate problems, they are not writing us but rather applauding a girl in Sweden, I am not being racist here, the truth is we love their solidarity, but we don’t want then to speak for us,” she added.
CSW is the largest, and among the most attended gender equality and women’s rights event held every year at the UN headquarters.
Importantly this year, the Commission will be reviewing its working methods, an opportunity that only happens every 5 years.We call for shifting and rotating of CSW to the various regions and ensuring CSOs have observer status and are meaningfully engaged across the regions, at all levels, and in the delegations.
CSW must devolve with clear monitoring and accountability frameworks on the agreed conclusions. There must be resources for implementation and coherence with other processes such as SDG, generation Equality Forum and the COP gender action plan.
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About the Author
Brenda Holo 
