By Kampala Sun Writer
Political parties have noted with concern how Climate change and natural resources degradation exacerbate existing gender inequalities. This, they say, has caused a great disproportionate impact on women, youth and People with Disability PWDs, because of the roles that they are assigned and the discrimination they face.
This was revealed in a capacity training meeting in Institutional and Democratic Governance for Political Organizations, CSOs / NGOs held at the Kyanja Folkecenter.
The main essence of the capacity building was to address g equity and inclusion of marginalized women, PWDs and Young people most affected by Climate Change.
The Political party leaders from Forum for Integrity in Leadership (FIL), National Peasants’ Party (NPP), Ecological Party of Uganda (EPU), Social Democratic Party (SDP), Green Partisan Party (GPP), People’s United Movement (PUM), Congress Service Volunteers Organization (COSEVO), People’s Development Party (PDP), Activist Party (AP), and Revolutionary People’s Party (RPP) agreed on the need for urgent interventions.
In the one- day training organized by Kijani Mwendo Uganda (KMU) a local CSO in partnership with the Swedish Left International Forum (VIF) there were presentations from Political parties, Youth and People with Disability (PWDs) managed NGOs and Women CSOs and the Political leaders.
They resolved to addresses structural gender inequalities caused by climate change and natural resource degradation, strongly support women and youth in strengthening their resilience and adaptive capacities vis-à-vis climate change and natural resources degradation, and promotes women’s, young people and PWD’ meaningful participation in the governance of climate change adaptation and mitigation, disaster risk reduction as well as natural resources governance initiatives countrywide.
The CEO Kijani Mwendo Uganda ( KMU) Thomas Kentos Bakyayita said that climate change can have differing social, economic, public health, and other adverse impacts on underprivileged populations, and a need to have these inequities addressed head-on through long-term adaptation and mitigation strategies is now emphasizing the essence of Climate Justice which is underscored by the UN where the impacts of climate change will not be borne equally or fairly, between rich and poor, women and men, and older and younger generations.
Ruth Kiwanuka the CEO Joint Energy and Environment Projects (JEEP) said Climate change is happening now and to all of us. No country or community is immune and, as is always the case, the poor and vulnerable are the first to suffer and the worst hit and action must be a priority
The meeting concluded with agreed actions towards a Green manifesto and a working partnership roadmap to be signed between Kijani Mwendo Uganda (KMU) and the political parties towards inclusion of marginalized groups towards advocating and justly deciding on actions pushed to protect citizen rights and ensure climate Justice.
