SPEECH ON WOMEN AND ENVIRONMENT
DELIVERED BY THE HONOURABLE DEPUTY MINISTER
OF ENVIRONMENTAL AFFAIRS AND TOURISM, MME
REJOICE MABUDAFHASI ON THE OCCASION OF THE
WOMEN’S PARLIAMENT DURING THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY
ON 28 AUGUST 2007
“Women as the Champions of the Earth and
Custodians of the Environment”
HONOURABLE SPEAKER
HONOURABLE DEPUTY PRESIDENT
HONOURABLE MEMBERS
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN
1. Introduction
The Stockholm Declaration adopted during
the 1972 United Nations Conference on the
Human Environment established a foundation
for linking human rights and environmental
protection by recognizing that each human
being has a fundamental right to live in
an environment that permits a life of dignity,
freedom, equality and well-being. This conference
also announced the responsibility of each
person to protect and improve the environment
for the benefit of the present and future
generations.
Since the Stockholm Declaration, multilateral
forums have called on the international
community to make opportunities available
for all citizens of the world to contribute
to environmental management irrespective
of gender, race, ethnicity and class. There
have been concerns that women have been
excluded from decision-making processes
on environmental issues. These concerns
resulted in the birth of international movements
such as the Women’s Environment Organisation
(WEDO) and the Global Network for Women
Ministers of Environment which is co-chaired
by South Africa.
When accepting the UNEP Champion of the
Earth Award in Singapore in 2006, June Zietlin,
the Executive Director of WEDO said ”In
accepting this award, we recognize that
women have long been champions of the earth
– in their families, in their communities,
and their societies”. This award honoured
women’s daily struggle to haul clean water,
fetch firewood, and grow food. In doing
this, women share their knowledge and the
preserve the resources of the earth for
generations to come. Concurring with this
sentiment, the former Secretary General
of the United Nations once remarked that
“Investing in women is the best strategy
for sustainable development”.
As the champions of the earth and custodians
of the environment, women are most affected
by environmental problems including land
degradation, climate change, biodiversity
and natural resources management, waste
management and pollution.
2. Land degradation, desertification and
climate change
We stand on the front line in the battle
against environmental degradation because
our health depends on the health of our
mother earth and its resources.
As women are the ones in closest contact
with land, they are usually the first to
suffer from its degradation. Women often
bear the brunt of natural disasters such
as famine or drought.
When we celebrated 2006 as the International
Year of Deserts and Desertification, we
did so by saluting women for their traditional
knowledge and expertise on land management
which has contributed to finding sustainable
solutions for overcoming poverty and fighting
diseases.
Through social responsibility projects,
our department is implementing land rehabilitation
projects that employ women to reverse the
impact of desertification whilst generating
income for their families, thus making the
economic and environmental sense – with
them as immediate beneficiaries – Our African
women are unstoppable.
The reality of the impacts of climate change
on our fragile natural resources is undisputable.
Our measure of success or failure in the
battle against these impacts will be determined
by the extend to which we empower women
to adapt to the devastating effects of climate
change such as unpredictable patterns of
droughts, floods and temperature changes
often associated with outbreaks of diseases.
3. Biodiversity and natural resources management
As we concluded the Johannesburg summit,
we called for the recognition of the specific
role of marginalized groups such as women,
youth and people with disabilities in the
sustainable use and conservation of biodiversity.
Madam Speaker, the tide must turn for the
real integration of gender dimensions in
our policies and programmes. We must consolidate
our gains made through programmes like the
Expanded Publics Work Programme which has
made huge strides in empowering women in
rural communities to take charge of their
lives.
In Barberton, Mpumalanga, the department
has funded a project on the conservation
and preservation of medicinal plants. From
humble beginnings, this project has grown
from preservation and conservation to sustainable
use of medicinal plants.
Women involved in this project have been
trained to extract products from medicinal
plants which are used to treat different
ailment such arthritis, muscle aches and
pains. The scope of this project has now
been extended to include a garden which
supplies factories with tomatoes for making
jam.
At the meeting of the Global Summit for
Women which was held in Germany in June
this year, this project was awarded a grant
of R30 000 after is was selected as one
of the best public private partnership projects
for women in the world.
It is through projects such as these that
we can demonstrate that the noble goals
of our government’s Accelerated Shared Growth
Initiative of South Africa (ASGI-SA) and
the Joint Initiative for Priority Skills
Acquisition (JIPSA) are achievable if the
political will is followed by appropriate
actions in partnership.
4. Waste management and pollution
Madam Speaker, we all know that waste and
pollution, especially air pollution, are
major environmental health concerns facing
our communities. Unfortunately it is women
again who are the majority of victims of
pollution and bad waste management practices.
Madam Speaker, studies conducted in many
countries have revealed that increased deaths
have been found among the children of women
who have been exposed to pesticides while
working on the farms. There is also scientific
proof that women exposed to hazardous chemicals
and polluted air were found to give birth
to children with delayed motor development
and dramatically lower intelligence. It
is also reported that polluted water kills
more than 3 million people in the world,
most of whom are women and children.
Madam Speaker, as a nation, we need to
show improved commitment in dealing with
waste management and pollution to ensure
that our people enjoy their right to a safe
and healthy environment as enshrined in
the constitution.
5. Youth and environment
Our natural environment constitutes the
“bank of the last resort” for the poor,
it is where we run to when all else has
failed. It is therefore only logical that
we should create a window of opportunity
for the youth to participate in environmental
management. As the future custodians of
the environment, the youth will manage scarce
natural resources and face increased levels
of poverty and unemployment if we do not
empower them to take care of their environment.
The National Environmental Management Act
(NEMA) makes specific provision for the
involvement of the youth in environmental
management and sustainable development programs.
It is therefore encouraging to note and
welcome that our department has set aside
R25 million for the implementation of the
National Youth Service Program on Environment.
These funds will be spent in employment
and skills programs for the youth throughout
our country.
6. Conclusion
In conclusion I would like to quote one
of the world leaders in the field of women
and environment, Bella Abzug who said “Change
is not about simply mainstreaming women.
It is about transforming the stream – cleaning
it up, changing stagnant pools into fresh
flowing waters….to reach our common goal
of a healthy and peaceful planet and human
rights for all”.
Moses Randitshenni
Media Liaison Officer for the Office of
the Deputy Minister
