Samira Bawumia making her submission during the conference

Allow women to participate in fight against climate action - Samira Bawumia to African leaders

Daily Graphic Nov - 16 - 2023 , 07:21

The wife of the Vice- President, Samira Bawumia, has called for a clear focus on women participation in the fight against climate change.

She has also stressed for the need to step up efforts aimed at combating climate change and mitigating its impacts, particularly on women and children.

Mrs Bawumia made the call at the Africa Women and Children Conference (AFRIWOCC) pre-COP28 Climate Forum at the Harvard University, Cambridge-Massachusetts, USA.

AFRIWOCC is a biennial high-level conference which brings together global experts to deliberate on issues related to women and children within the African continent.

Mrs Bawumia who is a Chair and Convener for AFRIWOCC and doubles as a Global Ambassador for the United Nations’ foundation, Clean Cooking Alliance and the World Health Organisation’s Health and Energy Platform for Action (HEPA), highlighted the underrepresentation of women in the energy sector.

She asserted that the International Renewable Energy Agency put women at a paltry 32 per cent of the workforce in renewable energy sector.

Addressing the forum, Mrs Bawumia further asserted that the United Nations estimated that 80 per cent of people displaced by climate change threats, such as severe drought, extreme heat and sea level rise were women, a situation which she said made them disproportionately affected.

She, therefore, called on financial institutions to focus on financing women, especially in the green sector.

This, she believes, would contribute to gender-responsive and children-sensitive solutions to climate change.

Mrs Bawumia was named the first of seven global honourees by Sustainable Energy for All (SEforAll), in partnership with Ashden, in recognition of her contribution towards mobilising action for the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) seven; the call for universal access to modern reliable, renewable and affordable energy for all by 2030.

She also received the Humanitarian Award by the Atlanta City Council for her tireless work on the many issues that affect families across the globe.

Other speakers at the pre-COP forum included Dr Gloria Y.A. Ayee, an Adjunct Lecturer in Public Policy at Harvard Kennedy School, and a lecturer at the Harvard Extension School.

The pre-COP forum sets the tone for a strong AFRIWOCC showing at this year’s COP28 which will take place in Dubai-United Arab Emirates, in December.