Blurb: The “Declaration of Women in Asia on Climate Change” is a result of a women's training held from 28 to 29 September 2009 in Bangkok, Thailand. Based on the framework of climate justice, the text contains progressive positions even in otherwise still ambiguous and contested issues surrounding climate change. It highlights the central role of women primarily as an agent in the fundamental management of communities and the environment.
Declaration of Women in Asia on Climate Change
We, indigenous, peasant, fisher, labour, rural and urban women, face the bulk of negative impacts of climate change and of the false solutions to the climate crisis proposed by governments and so-called experts. Women continue to produce and provide food; work inside and outside homes to augment our family incomes and are often the principal income earners; and through our productive and reproductive labour, we ensure the welfare of our families and communities.
However, we are still not recognised by governments, and national and international institutions as contributors who sustain lives in our families, communities and societies, and therefore, we are systematically excluded from decision making about our lives, environments and natural resources. Particularly in relation to the climate crisis, we are identified as "victims," but not as decision makers in determining how to tackle climate change and contributing solutions based on our wisdom and knowledge.
We, over 70 women from many parts of Asia with various backgrounds –indigenous, peasant, fisher, labour- and from different networks and social justice movements, met on September 28-29 2009, in Bangkok. We exchanged experiences with our sisters and discussed the impacts of climate change in our communities and on us, the women, from these communities. We discussed strategies and solutions to bring our voices and thoughts into the discourse on climate change and shape solutions to tackle the climate crisis. We also resolve to continue our own education about climate issues, educate other women and policy makers, and build alliances and coalitions to work towards genuine climate justice with the principles of gender justice.
We recognise that the climate crisis is complex and far reaching, and we need to act urgently in order to put into place systems that can address the climate crisis in long term and sustainable ways. For this we need real solutions that will tackle the roots of the climate crisis rather than mechanisms that allow corporations to profit from the crisis and allow the wealthy to keep consuming and depleting resources, and polluting the atmosphere.
We want our children and future generations to live in a world that is just, healthy and capable of sustaining lives. Therefore, we declare our following positions:
As indigenous women:
1. Respect and uphold the right to self-determination--as women and as members of indigenous communities. 2. Women should be integral to the process of obtaining genuine free, prior and informed consent from indigenous communities on development projects within their traditional territories.
Agriculture:
1. Promote and fund sustainable agriculture, organic and agro-ecological farming.
2. No to subsidies and support to industrial agriculture and agri-business corporations.
3. Recognize the rights of women farmers, and the contributions of women in agriculture.
4. Oppose carbon trading and Clean Development Mechanisms (CDMs) in agriculture.
5. No to GMOs.
6. No to free trade agreements and export-oriented agriculture.
7. Defend security of land tenure for small-hold farmers, and equally for women and men.
8. Decisions about how to use and preserve local ecological resources should be made by local communities, with equal rights to women and men.
Fishery
1. Call for all governments and international agencies to enforce and protect fisherfolk rights (UNCLOS; UNFCCC).
2. No to market-based solutions on marine eco-systems regarding climate change.
3. Involve fisherfolk communities and organisations in building community resilience to climate change based on local knowledge and capacity.
4. Protect, promote and fund fish sanctuaries and mangroves based on local, fishery-based community rights, that are proved to be low carbon by local government and international agreements.
5. Regulate fish trade and enhance domestic markets towards food security and building community resilience.
Forest
1. Exclude forests from carbon markets and as source of emissions offsets.
2. Recognize the rights of Indigenous Peoples and their rights to territory, especially Indigenous women’s rights.
3. Uphold the roles, interests and rights of women in using and protecting forests.
4. No to mining in forest and ecologically sensitive areas, including coastal areas; subject mining activities in all areas to strong and legal environmental and social regulations.
5. No to Reduction of Emission from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD) [1].
Health
1. Recognize the rights of women to healthy and safe environments; governments must ensure the delivery of basic health services in adaptation measures that benefit women, children and low-income communities.
Energy
1. No to nuclear power plants, coal-fired power plants, large-scale hydropower and incinerators.
2. No to agrofuels, geo-engineering and false solutions proposed by International Financial Institutions (IFIs), governments, Transnational/Multinational Corporations (TNCs/MNCs), the UNFCCC and others.
3. Decentralize power production and distribution, with regulations that prioritize small scale power utilities. Promote and fund community-based renewable energy.
Water and Sanitation
1. No to privatization of water and sanitation services.
2. Protect water as commons.
3. Promote sustainable sanitation.
Financing for climate change adaptation and mitigation:
1. Governments must make commitments for reparation and restitution in ways that do not create new debts for developing countries.
2. Recognize the historical and ecological debt of the North to the South.
3. Make financing commitments free from policy conditions or restrictions.
4. Ensure that financing commitments are not managed by IFIs but by independent bodies that include the participation of civil society; these could be through the UN or an alternative process.
5. Cancel existing debts of developing nations.
6. Ensure gender sensitivity and accounting of women’s unique economic, socio-political and cultural needs and priorities in all financing arrangements.
Bangkok, 29 September 2009
1. Emma Anakhasyan, MD MPH, Armenian Women for Health and Healthy Environment, Armenia 2. Farjana Akter, VOICE, Bangladesh 3. Sharmind Neelormi, Bangladesh 4. Gotelind Alber, GenderCC, Germany 5. Anastacia Pinto, Center for Organizing, Research and Education (CORE), India 6. Ade Herlina, Solidaritas Perempuan, Indonesia 7. Adriana Sri Adhiati, Down to Earth – International Campaign for Ecological Justice,Indonesia 8. Dewi Sari, Solidaritas Perempuan, Indonesia 9. Evani Hamzah, Solidaritas Perempuan Palu, Indonesia 10. F.N Dewi, Solidaritas Perempuan Anging Mamiri Makasar, Indonesia 11. Hikmah Diniyah, Solidaritas Perempuan Kinasih, Indonesia 12. Marhaini Nasution, Solidaritas Perempuan, Indonesia 13. Midaria Novawanty Saragih, SEAFish (Southeast Asia Fish for Justice), Indonesia 14. Nurhidayat, Solidaritas Perempuan Jabotabek, Indonesia 15. Orchida Ramadhania, Solidaritas Perempuan, Indonesia 16. Puspa Dewy, Solidaritas Perempuan, Indonesia 17. Ratih Suksma, Solidaritas Perempuan, Indonesia 19. Risma Umar, Solidaritas Perempuan, Indonesia 20. Wardarina Thaib, Solidaritas Perempuan, Indonesia 21. Afsana Yasmeen, Resource Management Foundation, Bangladesh and Gender and Water Alliance,Netherlands 22. Elvie Baladad, Pambansang Koalisyon ng Kababaihan sa Kanayunan (PKKK) or the National Rural Women Coalition, Philippines 23. Jean-Marie Ferraris, Legal Rights and Natural Resources Center - Davao Office, Philippines 24. Judy Pasimio, Legal Rights and Natural Resource Center (LRC-KSK), Philippines 25. Marita Rodriguez, Pambansang Koalisyon ng Kababaihan sa Kanayunan (PKKK) or the National Rural Women Coalition, Philippines
26. Pangging Santos, World March of Women and Sarilaya, Philippines 27. Patricia Villagonzalo, Sta. Cruz Parish Against Pollution, Saranggani, Philippines 28. Pinky Obatay, Maasim People's Coalition on Climate Change, Saranggani, Philippines 29. Titi Soentoro, NGO Forum on ADB, Philippines 30. Yuen Abana, Labor Party, Philippines 31. Shalmali Guttal, Focus on the Global South, Thailand 32. Tipakson Manpati, ERI Mekong School, Thailand 33. Siriluk Sripasit, Thailand 34. Somsy Manivanh, Thailand 35. Felicia Davis, Gender CC-Women for Climate Justice, Focal Point USA 36. Anna Rooke, Gender Action, Global 37. Enkhjin Batbilig 38. Kongo Baba 39. Lan Nguyen Thi Ngoc 40. Mara Adelaida Alberto 41. Udoh Nkechi Iboro 42. Diana Bronson 43. Margie Lacanilao 44. Jofti Villena 45. Flora Santos 46. Silvia Ribeiro 47. Adriana Sri Adhiati 48. Rowena Caronan 49. Shaji Johnson 50. Sara 51. Virgina 52. Swati 53. Eunice
Endorsers:
Sara Devaraj, Monitoring Sustainability of GlobalisatioN (MSN), Malaysia Red Constantino, NGO Forum on the ADB, Philippines Isis International, Philippines Maridel Alberto, Philippines Niza Concepcion, Committee of Asian Women, Thailand
[1] REDD – REDD stands for Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation in developing countries. It is an offsets programme where theoretically emissions from industrial countries may be offset against deforestation that DOES NOT occur though planned. The idea is to pay the people who would deforest to refrain from doing so, much like paying a thief not to rob your house or a murderer not to kill you. This allows industries to continue emitting as long as they can show paper that they are paying for the preservation of a forest somewhere. Problems with this scheme are evident. Even if deforestation was prevented, this would only be verifiable if the activities of local and indigenous people were removed and did not interfere with the assessments. Efforts have been made to convince some communities that their rights would be retained. But this is not the case. Already in some pilot REDD projects, local and indigenous peoples are being evicted. When the communities are displaced the impact on women is magnified. Women obtain livelihood from forests and work the lands to support those communities with the least carbon impact. The status and knowledge of women as resource managers are likewise lost once communities are moved elsewhere.
