NYCC Mourns the death of Prof Wangari Maathai

Statement by Esther Agbarakwe, Founder of Nigerian Youth Climate Coalition.

"We young Nigerian Climate Leaders mourns with our peers across Africa and the world on the sad news of the dead of Wangari Maathai. A women we saw as a mother. We draw strong inspiration from her life and promise to keep her legacy. We are consoled that she led a wonderful live during our generation and we will miss her wisdom and courage in Durban. May we grow up to be like you...  Adieu Mama Trees, Adieu Mama Africa. We love you, but God love you most'

 

Wangari Muta Maathai (1940-2011)

Prof. Wangari Muta Maathai started the Green Belt Movement in 1977, working with women to improve their livelihoods by increasing their access to resources like firewood for cooking and clean water. She became a great advocate for better management of natural resources and for sustainability, equity, and justice. 

Wangari Muta Maathai was born in Nyeri, Kenya (Africa) in 1940. The first woman in East and Central Africa to earn a doctorate degree, Professor Maathai obtained a degree in Biological Sciences from Mount St. Scholastica College in Atchison, Kansas (1964).

 She subsequently earned a Master of Science degree from the University of Pittsburgh (1966). Professor Maathai pursued doctoral studies in Germany and the University of Nairobi, obtaining a Ph.D. (1971) from the University of Nairobi where she also taught veterinary anatomy.

She became chair of the Department of Veterinary Anatomy and an associate professor in 1976 and 1977 respectively. In both cases, she was the first woman to attain those positions in the region.

A Poem in Memory of Prof. Wangari Maathai

I slept and dreamt,
Of the greenest Earth,
I awoke and felt,
The prevailing dearth

I dreamt of trees,
Then woke up to plant them
Stung by political bees,
But soldiered on; devoid of shame

Now that I'm gone,
Of more trees do plant,
Here; the torch that my path shone,
The song of eco-warriors forever chant!

~ In Memory of Prof. Wangari Maathai


by: Kennedy Liti Mbeva,
UNEP - Bayer Young Environment Envoy 2010
Africa Union Youth Volunteer

Mali: Bamako 15 September 2011 – For Immediate Release

African Youth welcome the hosting of the African Ministerial Conference on Environment (AMCEN)  in Bamako, Mali from the 12 to 16 September 2011. This 14th session which aims at consolidating the African common position within the climate negotiations at COP 17 as well as the  Rio + 20 gives impetus to the African youth to get their permanent observer status at AMCEN.

The African Youth Initiative on Climate Change (AYICC) is a Pan-African movement of young people and organizations which aims at addressing issues of climate change, environment and sustainable development. AYICC was formed in  Nairobi in 2006 during the UNFCCC COP 12 as a platform for youth advocacy on climate change issues. Its goal is to bring together the synergies of youth to participate in various forums and debates in order to find solutions to climate change issues.

In fulfilling this, AYICC is represented at AMCEN by youth organizations and NGOs from Africa led by JVE International, an environmental organization present in over 19 countries in Africa which is fighting for climate justice through advocacy and the education of young people on climate change in Africa.

Like its  peers in the African civil society, AYICC would like to remind Ministers that climate justice and sustainable  development should be the basic fundamental strategy for Africa. This requires:

1.       Recognition of the right of people to development, the  maintenance of the earth’s  bio capacity , and inter and intra-generational equity;

2.       Urgent focus on adaptation to climate change especially for  the most vulnerable communities to easily  access  adequate funding;

3.       The implementation of an innovative financing  mechanism that takes into account historical responsibility, direct  access (without intermediaries), and the rejection of all forms of      debt;

4.       A call to limit the average increase in temperature to   below 1.5 ° C; and

5.       Integrating environmental sustainability into national  development plans.

 All these demands are contained in the ‘Have Faith-Act Now’ petition campaign in which AYICC is involved and in which we are seeking to collect one (1) million signatures to take to COP 17.This campaign also includes a youth caravan from Nairobi to Durban.

Further to this, AYICC wishes to reaffirm its commitment to contribute to the construction of a new development paradigm. In this regard, Rio +20 is an opportunity for us to:

Act on the transition to a low carbon  development and build resilience to the impacts of climate change

Lay the foundations for a genuine global governance mechanism or sustainable development Place Youth, children and Indigenous peoples in particular and civil society in general, at the heart of environmental   governance and development.

Guide the green economy to address the fight  against poverty while taking care not to exacerbate social     inequalities, let alone the destruction of biodiversity   or the collapse of the  poor states in favor of the      private sector.

The urgent and important message that the  ministers should take to heart  is that: 'Climate change threatens the balance of life on Earth with Sea level rises and  increased acidity , the melting of ice caps and glaciers, deterioration of forests and coral reefs and other ecosystem changes. With these, the existence of some communities is threatened while others face increasing difficulties in their development. According to Sylvia Wachira, the AYICC Coordinator. ‘While the lives of young people and children are just blooming, it is undeniable that we are on the brink of a climatic catastrophe which will  cause disturbances with unpredictable weather patterns, the collapse of food systems, mass migration  and unprecedented human conflict .’

 With this in mind, we AYICC affirms that it is  committed to supporting the position of Africa to reach a fair and equitable agreement at COP 17 in Durban.

We represent the future which you speak of : RESPECT IT!

Contacts for the Press:

Séna ALOUKA: 00223 79 49 78 33, yvetogo@hotmail.com

Mawusé     HOUNTONDJI: 00223 72 56 16 65, jvebenin@gmail.com