Women’s rights group commemorates World Environment Day

THE private sector has been urged to support gender-responsive technologies to reduce women’s workload in the household as well as to support sustainable livelihoods including in Agriculture.

In a statement to commemorate World Environment Day 2024, which is celebrated globally on June 5, Women’s Coalition of Zimbabwe (WCoZ) chairperson Ms Muchanyara Mukamuri said despite 80 percent of women in Zimbabwe depending on land for their livelihoods, less than 30 percent owned land due to rights uncertainty and harsh policies which disfavor women’s access to land.

WCoZ is a non-partisan national network of women’s rights organizations and individuals promoting women’s rights.

“Women who are the custodians of the environment remain vulnerable to poverty and climate change-induced shocks. Without policies and laws that speak directly to the impact that droughts and climate change have on women, women will continue to be disproportionately affected by the vagaries of climate change through a lack of food, water scarcity, unpaid care and domestic work associated with climate change and forced migration,” said Ms Mukamuri.

She said when given equal access, women and girls can increase agricultural productivity, restore land and build resilience to drought, noting that while the Beijing Declaration and Platform of Action provides for the need to ensure adequate women’s involvement in environmental decision-making at all levels, women’s representation in such processes remains insufficient and their access to and management of land is severely limited in Zimbabwe and globally. The Government of Zimbabwe, said WCoZ, must address climate change as one of the key drivers for droughts through increasing women’s leadership in environment processes and mainstreaming gender in the development and review of climate change short and long-term strategies and policies.

“Women reiterate that we have a unique and intimate relationship with the environment. We therefore believe that a sustainable future is possible through harnessing knowledge, skills and leadership of women in environmental governance,” she said.

According to Ms Mukamuri, the Zimbabwe Land Commission ought to publish the Land Audit report with disaggregated data, clearly showing the number of women who benefitted from the land quota system and the measures being taken to address the historic land gendered imbalances.

This year’s World Environment Day campaign focuses on land restoration, desertification and drought resilience under the slogan “Our land. Our future. We are #GenerationRestoration.” The day raises awareness, mobilises action, and promotes environmental sustainability.