Doha, Qatar (December 5, 2012)- Early this morning Women and Gender NGOs at COP 18 representing hundreds of women’s organizations and environmental leaders around the world expressed their dissatisfaction with the positions of many Northern Governments.
Holding signs listing the failures of the negotiations including – “empty financing,” “inequality,” “gigaton gap” “withholding safe technologies” “no compensation for loss and damage” at the entrance to the conference site, over two dozen women and men chanted “Not in My Name!” and urged delegates and NGOs to “Sign our petition if the negotiations don’t speak for you!’ https://www.change.org/petitions/commit-to-fierce-urgency-and-ambition-in-solving-the-climate-crisis
The petition asks NGOS and delegates to sign on to a letter (see attached), and calls for “fierce urgency and ambition.” It decries the lack of sincere and effective actions on the part of the countries from the Global North. The drafters say that the COP has no legitimacy to speak on behalf of the people of the world unless they make real progress.
“Women from the Global North are very concerned that their leaders don’t commit to the actions which are needed, and don’t do enough to support developing countries facing the impacts of our historic misbehavior,” said Ulrike Roehr of LIFE – Education, Environment, Equality, of Germany. “We want to make clear that we will not forget and forgive how they negotiate here”.
“Women the world over have been patiently waiting for ‘decisionmakers’ to choose life for people and for the planet,” said Marta Benavides of Siglo XXIII (23rd Century) of El Salvador. Benavides continued, “Unbelieveably, I have met delegates here who are still skeptical about global warming. Denying the science is not a responsible position at COP 18.” “The Doha Climate Change Conference is almost finished and there doesn’t seem to be any sign that the governments will be making the right choices for quality of life for the present and to ensure a future for the next generations.”
More photos are available here and below!
