First Lady Jeannette Kagame has called for joint efforts to ensure that women are not left as the most vulnerable to climate change and resource depletion among other threats that the world is grappling with today. She made the remarks on Tuesday, March 8 while attending the International Women’s Day celebration held in Kenya and organised by her Kenyan counterpart Margeret Kenyatta. The event took place at the Kenya School of Government in Nairobi and was attended by Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta. The event served as a celebration of both First Ladies efforts in achieving gender parity, and the partners, allies and activists that have contributed to this fight. As this year’s International Women’s Day was themed: Gender Equality for a Sustainable Tomorrow, Mrs. Kagame’s remarks focused on gender equality in the realm of climate change, and how important it is in achieving sustainability. Addressing participants, Mrs Kagame reminded them that gender inequality lives on despite the innovative and “at times heroic feats” that many women around the world have achieved. “At the rate of our current efforts, the World Economic Forum estimates that it will take 135 years or until the year 2157 for the gender gap to close. The figures are grim and some questions remain unanswered,” she said, before asking: “With newly emerging threats to the stability and welfare of populations such as climate change and resource depletion, is the world truly comfortable with women being the first in the casualty line?” She reminded them that women make up 70 percent of the world’s poor, something that renders them especially vulnerable to consequences of natural disasters, drought and famine. “We must address the global indifference towards the issues of sustainability and climate change mitigation. Passivity has poisoned us, it has fed the cynicism of some and the hopelessness of others, it has convinced masses that climate change, a frightful brute of modern society’s own making, is unbeatable, unavoidable and most importantly none of our concern,” she said. She noted that she believes that mitigation, sustainability and gender equality are interdependent. “I hope that every young mind, every organisation, every institution, or governmental body that desires a green future is faithful that our sustainability is attainable if we alleviate the load off women. So I ask with a stubborn optimism, are we ready at last to do the imperative?” she said. This year’s Women’s Day was marked under the theme: Gender equality today for a sustainable tomorrow. Margaret Kenyatta, the First Lady of Kenya, in her speech, said the theme “amplifies the barriers that women face and the importance of inclusivity to economic development and social change.” “It also highlights the inequalities facing women and girls, as well as vulnerable groups as a result of climate change but it also brings to the fore the role of women and girls as powerful change agents because of their resilience, their courage and the influential roles they play in their homes, their communities, our country and the world,” she added. President Uhuru Kenyatta also weighed-in on how women and girls are affected by environmental degradation and climate change. “Climate change as well as environmental degradation pulls an existential threat to the planet. However, while everyone is threatened, it is the world’s poorest and those in vulnerable situations especially women and girls who bear the brunt of climate related socio-economic effects,” he said. “All the evidence underscores the vital link between gender, social equity and climate change and recognises that without gender equality, a sustainable future will remain out of reach,” he added.
