WAVE (Women As the Voice for the Environment)
UNEP’s Global Women’s Assembly on Environment

11-13 October 2004 | Nairobi, Kenya

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Highlights for Tuesday 12 October 2004

On the second day of the WAVE meeting, participants met in morning roundtable sessions to discuss women’s rights, poverty and health, and starting a mentorship programme. In the afternoon, WAVE participants continued drafting recommendations and project ideas in various working sessions. At the end of the day, participants met in a joint plenary session to discuss the recommendations drafted by the Network of Women Ministers for the Environment, which will be sent to sessions including the 23rd UNEP Governing Council/Global Ministerial Environmental Forum and the 13th session of the Commission on Sustainable Development-13.

Above photo: Bird's eye view of the WAVE plenary session.


Roundtable II: Women's rights, environment, poverty, and health


Above photo: The dais during the Roundtable on Women's rights, environment and health include Stella Tamang, Indigenous Women, Nepal; Svitlana Slesarenok, MAMA-86, Ukraine; Agnes Kalibala, Uganda; Zo Randriamaro, Madagascar and Sascha Gabizon, Women in Europe for a Common Future.



Noting that liberalization leads to increasing levels of poverty, Svitlana Slesarenok, MAMA-86, Ukraine, explained how MAMA-86 has prevented environmental hazards through local and national project work.



Zo Randriamaro, Madagascar, said that neoliberal globalization in Africa builds on a history of slavery, colonialism and exploitation, with definite gender dimensions. 




Stella Tamang, Indigenous Women, Nepal, said that indigenous communities need to know how to protect themselves from commercial predators. 



Sascha Gabizon, Women in Europe for a Common Future, urged women’s groups to spend at least one dollar on women’s projects for every dollar spent on conferences.


Roundtable III: Starting a Mentorship Programme - A world in need of female leadership



Above photo: In the morning session, WAVE participants discussed “Starting a Mentorship Programme – A world in need of female leadership." From left to right: Afifa Raihana, STEP, Bangladesh; Thandie Shongwe, Minister of Environment, Swaziland; Lena Sommestad, Minister of Environment, Sweden; Ursula Carrascal Vizarreta, VIDA, Peru; and Ruth Mulenga, UNEP Youth Council, Zambia.





Thandie Shongwe, Minister of Environment, Swaziland, urged women present at the Assembly to assist young people in attaining decision making positions, especially in environment.



Ruth Mulenga, UNEP Youth Council, Zambia, explained her experience as a mentee in the area of solid waste management.




Afifa Raihana, STEP, Bangladesh, stressed the need for project work guidelines on mentorship, complete information on mentors and mentees, and adequate funding to have a mentorship programme.



Ursula Carrascal Vizarreta, VIDA, Peru, said that helping empower women and children will create a better world and transfer skills necessary for human dignity.



Leba Mataitini (Fiji) said that women should accept responsibility for the current position of women as they are the mothers of the men in power, and urged women to instill social and environmental values in their children and grandchildren.

 

Mona Mejsen Westergaard (Denmark) advocated the inclusion in the Manifesto of a call to multinationals to take on social and environmental responsibility. 

 


Enhancing Global Linkages: Indigenous and local women's perspective on sustainable development 



Participants stressed the need to highlight governments’ obligation to collaborate with indigenous peoples. 
Above photos L-R: Marcela Tovar, WEDO, Laetitia Zobel, UNEP, Stella Tamang, Indigenous Women, Nepal, and Lucy Mulenkei, International Indigenous Network (IIN). 


Capacity Building and Education: 


Above photos: In an afternoon working group WAVE participants discuss draft recommendations on informal and formal education. 

 

Plenary: 




WAVE participants discussed draft recommendations on informal and formal education sectors in the capacity building and education working group session. 

Above photo: Jocelyn Dow, Red Thread Women’s Development, Rejoice Mabudhafhasi, Deputy Minister for Environmental Affairs and Tourism, South Africa, Lena Sommestad, Minister of Environment, Sweden, Viveka Bohn, Sweden, and Srilatha Batliwala, WEDO



Jocelyn Dow, Red Thread Women’s Development, Guyana, commended participants for having carried out their responsibilities as women.



Rejoice Mabudhafhasi, Deputy Minister for Environmental Affairs and Tourism, South Africa, encouraged the involvement of the media in women’s communication strategies.


Srilatha Batliwala, President of WEDO, India, highlighted the need for new resources to do the work that governments cannot.


Olivier Deleuze, UNEP thanked the Ministers and participants  for their participation and enthusiasm.