“We have a fundamental belief in leaving no one behind” – Gender Breakfast at SB48
Remarks by Ms. Timaima Vakadewabuka, a senior member of the Fijian delegation and one of the Talanoa Dialogue facilitators, at the Presidency Gender Breakfast on 4 may 2018.
Distinguished Heads of Delegation, Excellency’s and Ladies and Gentlemen. On behalf of the COP Presidency and the Fijian delegation Bula Vinaka, welcome and thank you for joining us here this morning. It is with great pleasure that we host this breakfast on the Gender Action Plan.
One of the achievements we are most proud of is the formulation and the launch of the Gender Action Plan at COP23.
At the outset, our COP President, the Honorable Frank Bainimarama, gave an assurance that throughout the term of Fiji’s presidency, gender issues would be given the priority they deserve. And with your support and hard work we have been able to formulate and launch the Gender Action Plan.
Today ladies and gentlemen, we take our efforts a step further by socialising and discussing how the plan can be implemented and how it will operate.
The Gender Action Plan is priority for the Fijian Presidency because we have a fundamental belief in leaving no one behind. That is the basis of all our policies in Fiji and everything we pursue in our relations with the world at large.
Gender considerations are critical because while every single person on the planet is affected by climate change, we know that women must be a critically important part of the solution because of our role as powerful agents for change in our societies.
When we are well represented in decision-making processes, we can be extremely effective in spreading awareness and sharing skills and knowledge that helps accelerate the response to climate change. Fiji knows that if we are to have any hope of achieving our collective goal of limiting the average global temperature to 1.5 degrees, we can only get there with the support of our women. Yes, all of us in this room, and every single woman on earth, can make a difference.
We can make a difference and are making a difference because we know better than anyone else that we must safeguard our children’s future. As the mother of two girls, Olivia and Violet, who turned six on May the first, I am deeply concerned about the kind of world we will leave them. And I know that every single mother in this room will feel the same.
As the backbone of our families and societies, we have the power to achieve change.
For this reason, women need to be empowered and we, as the guardians of the Gender Action Plan, need to dig deep and encourage Parties to focus on including, training and nurturing women to become strong advocates for change on both the national and international fronts.
However, this is not to say that our efforts must concentrate on women only. We also need to encourage the participation of likeminded men who are passionate about gender issues and the inclusion of women in climate change issues and negotiations.
This brings me to a very important issue ladies and gentlemen, the nomination of national gender focal points.
We urge all Parties to nominate a national gender focal point for your country, if you have not already done so. This person must ensure that the Gender Action Plan and gender equality and inclusiveness are kept at the forefront of your national initiatives and policies.
As Parties, we need to ensure that the momentum of the Gender Action Plan continues and we need to work together to determine how the Gender Action Plan will be implemented and how aims of the Plan will be achieved.
At the national level in Fiji, we are already taking initiatives for women’s empowerment and women’s involvement in climate change. For example, “Barefoot solar mamas” is an initiative where women are trained at the Barefoot College in India. These women now provide the solar engineering services in their Fijian communities. This is one example of how we are turning words into action.
Ladies and gentlemen, in closing, let’s make this session count. We have a great opportunity here in Bonn and I look forward to hearing your perspectives and experiences this morning that will help us make the Gender Action Plan a powerful tool for women’s empowerment.
Vinaka Vaka Levu. Thank you.
