“Southern Africa could create 78,000 new jobs in less than 20 years”- Thelma Munhequete

Southern Africa could create 78,000 new jobs in less than 20 years By Thelma Munhequete*   I have attended the global Gender Climate Alliance Innovation Forum, on the sideline of COP22,  the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change held in Marrakech, Morocco last november. The event was supported by different UN Agencies, organizations and stakeholders. 200 participants from different countries attended the two days event. Different experience and action where shared. Mary Robinson from the Mary Robinson Foundation, addressed the need of bigger and great Dialogues among Women  globally, Regionally and at a country level. Participants  have concentrated efforts to   improve gender balance and increase the participation of women in all UNFCCC processes. The Forum addressed key questions:  Where  Are We?  Where  Are We Going? What topics? How  can we integrate gender into urban climate policy? These are my thoughts. Where Are We? Gender in the communities is a relatively new topic in Mozambique. But it  has not received much attention although it is acknowledged that women and the youth are the most vulnerable groups in the communities. In its response to ensure social safety and protection of the citizens, the Government of Mozambique introduced measures through departments. This is further supported by Policy Frameworks and Legal instruments. As Country Executive Director of Africa Foundation which works  in southern Africa Countries, both in Mozambique and Zambia,  I  shared my experience in Mozambique. The lack   of data  is the main obstacle to integrate climate change, gender mainstream and the sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) simultaneously, in order to reduce poverty, promote food security and further gender equality in my country. Climate change is affecting the youth. In most  cases, the youth helps the family. The decrease in water pressure reduces the reliability of the water borehole in the villages. During drought,people move with their livestock for grazing and so require water. These additional challenges compromise the health condition of the youth as well as the education. It is critical to assess the viability of scaling up successful local solutions as well as identifying new solutions for them. Where  Are We Going? The associated lack of food, water and income is already visible and it’s reaching social consequences such adoption of risky behaviours consuming of alcohol abuse, criminal activities (Poaching), theft and corruption that lead to family breakdowns. We have embraced the principles of gender equality and empowerment of women and youth . Through our affiliation to the Global Gender and Climate Alliance (GGCA), we  aim to mainstream gender in all  projects. We adopted the Global Environment Facility’s Gender Equality Action Plan (GEAP) to guide our gender action plan which forms part...