Girls are climate leaders, Wa’ed tells COP27
Karama is proud to support the participation of the Wa’ed network in the global climate conference, COP27, taking place in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt.
Girls from the Wa’ed network participated in the Children and Youth Pavilion alongside UNICEF, our partners in the climate technical cohort of girls from the Arab region. Karama and Wa’ed delivered the following statement underlining the threat that climate change poses especially to girls, and urging for bold and decisive action to address the threats.
Statement from Karama and the Wa’ed network for adolescent girls in Africa and the Arab region
Climate change is a gender issue, and no generation alive today will have contributed less to the causes of climate change and be impacted more by its effects than young women and girls.
Girls in Africa and the Arab region already face many barriers to their rights and life opportunities. Climate change magnifies many of these threats. Nine out of 10 children in the Arab region live in countries with high or extremely high water stress. More young women and girls than ever before are living in communities impacted by drought, communities facing the prospect of migration to seek refuge from floods, fires, or water or food scarcity, more girls are seeing their access to education further threatened by the effects of climate change, more girls living in regions already experiencing the effects of armed conflict, occupation, and humanitarian crisis that is exacerbated by climate change.
Across the world, young women and girls show that they refuse to simply be victims or onlookers to the global challenge of climate change. They are remarkable climate activists and engineers determined to meet the challenge.
The Karama network is proud to be working alongside UNICEF to support the climate advocacy of the Technical Cohort of adolescent girls from the Arab region.
Together we are working to support their engagement and participation as informed, resilient and active citizens and advocates to influence climate-related decisions and policies that most impact them and to take bold actions to address climate change and to mitigate its impact on them, their families, and their communities.
Every day, girls in the region show incredible resilience and courage. As COP27 meets in Egypt, we call on the participating governments to show the same level of courage in their decision making and the actions that they take.
We ask that governments recognize and address the impact of conflict, occupation, and militarization on our ability to mitigate and adapt to climate change.
Processes like COP cannot be judged by what is said, only by what is done. Young people today and future generations will come to learn only too well how effective and equitable are the decisions made in Sharm El Sheikh.
To those participating at COP27, we simply ask that you show the strength and courage that girls must do.