Gender and Climate Change –Challenges and way forward

Author: Abdou Rahman Sallah

            Executive Director BAJ Gambia

Gender inequalities substantially limit women’s access to control over and use of services and productive resources. As a result, natural hazards have different impact on men and women. These inequalities make the effect more devastating for women. With equal gender opportunities, a new environmentally friendly perspective needs to be developed that makes men and women equally accountable for their personal consumption and renders them responsible for the impact they have on the environment.

Urgent actions are needed to combat climate change but lack of information on gender and climate change has slowed our reactions. Today, there is inadequate information on gender issues relating to climate change. Further research is therefore needed in several aspects to establish the linkages between gender and climate change.

One key challenge is the small proportion of women in relevant professions and position of authority. International climate change process would be achieve sustainably we need to espouse the principles of gender in all stages of the process from research, through analysis, agenda formation, negotiation and decision making, regime implementation etc.

GAMBIA: Journalists, youth organisations, students' researchers discuss GIs importance

Participants at  GIs Gambia forum

BiodiversityAction Journalists Gambia (BAJ Gambia) advocacy journalists organisation on Thursday 17^th July brought together local journalists, youth organisations and student researchers under one conference room to discuss on Geographical Indications (GIs), a program organized under the auspices of Biodiversity Action Journalists Gambia (BAJ-Gambia) held at its head office in Churchill’s Town.

The general objective of the gathering is to share GIs information with participants as well as putting in place GIs team in The Gambia.

Media practitioners exposed to environmental protection

Group picture of the participants

No fewer than 30 media practitioners mainly editors, web-designers, radio presenters and online reporters from the print and electronic media 15^th March, 2014 hold a day long capacity enhancement on environmental editing, reporting and broadcasting, at the Wellingara Horticulture Model Centre.

                                                 Organised by the Biodiversity Action Journalists-The Gambia (BAJ-Gambia), through funding  from UNDP GEF-Small Grants Programme (UNDEP/GEF-SGP), the grant is meant to implement a twelve-month project on public awareness on ‘Environmental Protection and Mitigation’ nationwide. 

The objective of the project is designed to promote public participation in Protected Area Management of environmental and biodiversity resources for posterity.

BAJ-The Gambia is an environmental and natural resources journalists’ organisation, with a membership of 70 practising journalists from both print and electronic (social) media community radios and youth activists across the country, aimed at advocating  sustainable use of biological and natural resources for generations yet unborn.  

Mamadou Edrisa Njie, BAJ-Gambia social-secretary said the project is meant to protect and mitigate the environment, working in collaboration with Gambia Press Union, National Environmental Agency (NEA), Young Journalists Association of The Gambia (YJAG), MOBSE and other relevant stakeholders across the country.

BAJ-Gambia Social Secretary Among 2014 Earth Hour Champions

Mamadou Edrisa Njie Social Secretary BAJ-Gambia

If a civilisation is judged by the wisdom of its ways, the 21^stcentury owes considerable gratitude to one journalist cum social justice activist in The Gambia Mr Mamadou Edrisa Njie’s of using  the social media-digital journalism- in the past few years which has revolutionized the way Gambian people understand their relationship with the social media. 

“Congratulations on your successful selection to join WalktoMali! We received a record 77 number of applications from 20 countries and the quality of these was truly unparalleled. So you have every reason to feel proud for being selected as a WalktoMali participant.Bravo again!” writes Mr. Oludotun Babayemi, country director, WWF-Earth Hour Nigeria. 

On January 18, 2014 twelve Earth Hour Champions, including our own Mamadou Edrisa Njie, Biodiversity Action Journalists- The Gambia (BAJ-Gambia) social secretary set out to empower 14 local communities in the West Africa region. 

TheWalktoMali campaign engaged 12 Earth Hour Champions who embark on a 3,404km round road trip, from Nigeria to Mali, between Saturday January 18and Saturday, March 15, 2014.

The campaign is an annual affair and the Earth Hour team in Nigeria launched WalktoMali to promote the culture of peace and environmental sustainability across seven West African countries. The 3,404km round road trip WalktoMalitakes the 12 champions through Nigeria, Niger, Mali, Cote D’ivoire, Ghana, Togo and Benin.  

Njie, a participant in the two-month project says “Earth Hour is the single largest mass participation event of its kind in the world. But it only works if you're in. Because Earth Hour is about you and me – the beautiful, bold idea that all of us together can inspire climate action. And in 2014, we're launching something new. Are you in?” 

Youths to make history, trek to Mali from Abuja

By: Greg Odogwu journalist with The Garki Gazette, Abuja, Nigeria #WalktoMali 

Mamadou Edrisa Njie interview with Greg Odogwu Abuja, Nigeria

Some West African youths are set to make history as they embark on a two months long walk to Mali and back, covering about 3,500 kilometres, from the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, on Saturday, 18th January.

The GARKI GAZETTE gathered that the youths are made up of about twelve youth activists from seven West African countries of Nigeria, Niger, Mali, Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, Togo and Benin; they will traverse the cold-by-the-night and hot-by-the-day climate of sub-Saharan Africa in their quest to attract the world’s attention to the poverty ravaging the communities they would visit along the route.

This journey is under the auspices of Earth Hour, an environmental initiative of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) kick-started in 2007 to draw the world’s attention to the menace of global warming and encourage global citizens to take definite action to stem the menace.