Climate Change: a new landscape?

This seminar (held at the Japanese Embassy) was the last of the “Climate Change” Series hosted by ‘Climate Strategies’. A research concentrating on the G-8 opportunity after the post-Poznan United Nations Climate Change Conference was reviewed in this seminar. Here is a short summary presented by this high calibre of panellists.

MP Joan Ruddock, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State
Ms Ruddock shared views of the British-Japanese relationship in regards to climate change. It is apparent that Japanese G8 President had shown strong leadership with meeting targets for emissions having implemented 60-80% cuts in Japanese domestic policy. Pioneering in example, this has pushed the UK to commence the “Act on CO2” campaign. Traditional industries must be supported to reduce carbon through EU tradition trading scheme, and will need government investment to span a whole chain of innovation, above and beyond R&D.

Michael Grubb, Chair of Climate Strategies
Mr Grubb engaged with the research of Japanese climate change projects, broad political and technical observations set the scene for discussion. The Toyako Summit 2008 had complicated objectives (and rejected the next day), therefore same mistakes cannot be made at the Copenhagen summit (2009) when G8 presidency is handed over from Japan to Italy. Major economies like India and China need to start cooperating with G8 goals over the distribution of cutbacks. Need global targets, like encouraging ‘Clean Development Mechanism’. In regards to the politics of Britain, the UK Climate Change Committee said, ‘to add agenda through parliament for political pressure to meet emission targets’. The British government is convinced that 80% cutback is do-able but is clearly too ambitious.

Junichi Fujino, Low Carbon Societies Senior Researcher
Mr Fujino gave an excellent presentation about how Japan is researching and implementing low carbon buildings in society, looking at the collective role of stakeholder, government, business and civil society. It is estimated that 50% of GHG reductions in 2050 is required to control temperature – the scientific graphics of global warming was alarming, and suggested visions that the Japanese are concentrating on to minimise the effects of climate change. VISION AND INNOVATION: (Example) Utilising solar panels and changing the behaviour of civil society. Need to avoid energy resource battle by using resources in an efficient way, develop innovations and support global sustainable development.

Giovanni Brauzzi, Minister and Deputy Head of the Italian Embassy
Mr Brauzzi stressed that climate change is a prime agenda of Italy’s G8 Presidency. No doubt the economic crisis have impacted on the affordability for change, however innovative growth is fundamental.

Shinsuke Sugiyama, Director General for Global Issues, MOFA Japan
Mr Sugiyama summarised how the Poznan discussion regarding new mechanism for change and adaptation was not agreed upon. Negotiation is dependent upon management and points of discussion. He stressed that the economic crisis will negotiation for change harder, but must not be used as an excuse to move away from the efforts of climate change. Scientists VS politicians, long term VS short term, climate change VS credit crunch... all these issues must be bridged for positive and effective decision-making. He noted that Japan is to establish an effective framework for all major economies to participate.

Benoit Chevalier, Economic Counsellor of the French Embassy
Mr Chevalier urged that developed nations need to show developing nations that we are ready to take our share of the burden. Green opportunity is green investment, and finds it illogical how countries can agree on targets without global negotiations. Without participation of all countries, commitment to targets will be unlikely.

Jill Duggan, International Emissions Trading
Ms Duggan reviewed the EU 2020 package.

Thomas Brewer, Associate Professor of Georgetown University, USA
Mr Brewer discussed the new presidency of Barack Obama and America’s outlook for US climate policy. Obama wants cap and trade bills, is a sponsor of several biofuel subsidy bills, and will look into energy plans. Reforming issues concentrate on the credit crunch, providing economic stimulus, job creation, increasing funding for clean energy and providing technological leadership. Mr Brewer forecasts that the climate change agenda being put through Congress may have a bi=partisan division between the Democrats and the Republican, and this division must be broken. Democrats want climate change on the agenda, whereas the Republicans disagree (as most businesses oppose the cap and trade idea).

The Politics of Climate Change

The Politics of Climate Change

Seeking a global solution through national action in a new world order

4^th December 2008

I was kindly invited by the Policy Network to join a high level debate on the current processes of Climate Change, held at LSE. I was overwhelmed by the panel of experts that surrounded me, feeling like I had no way to contribute but standing firm on my grassroot notions led me to a few people who seemed interested in what I hope to achieve.

The key speakers, chaired by former director of LSE Anthony Giddens, were Mutsuyoshi Nishimura (special adviser to the Japanese prime minister and cabinet), and Professor Miranda Schreurs (director of the Environmental Policy Research Centre). The discussion touched upon multifaceted challenges to existing political systems and policy thinking from a US and Japanese perspective, which was a great insight on how the UK can either change or adopt similar processes. Below is a summary of what was covered at this very prestigious gathering led by key experts in the field of climate change.

Executive Report

Policies for a low carbon society in the EU, Japan and the US were compared. No doubt the largest CO2 emitters are the US, Japan, EU and China being very populated and industrious nations. Prof. Schreurs highlighted total emission rates and targets of control from large emitting countries, which seem too ambitious for 2020 without sustainable, cost effective solutions, compared to the latest US policies currently being researched by the Obama administration.

There was high consensus that Obama’s presidency will push climate change to the top of international agenda, pushing away from the Kyoto Protocol and modify international practices. Prof Schreurs made us aware of the types of policies initiated by America – however Nishimura urged that these policies can not wholly be implemented without “surest solutions”.

American initiatives and plans:

- New England Climate Action Plan
- Greenhouse Gas Initiative
- Cap and trade schemes for CO2 from major power plants
- Annual CO2 cuts by 2.5%

The world is aware that we are in trouble but these fears need to be eradicated by tackling the problem. Nishimura said difficulties in solving climate change is policy-maker’s “pathetic lack of the sure solution which is leanest and least expensive”. Administrating solutions will not be cheap, such as creative innovative ‘green’ technology and changing habits within society. A “surest solution” may be Obama’s suggestion of ‘cap and trade’ - this is an approach used to control pollution by providing economic incentives for achieving reductions in the emissions of pollutants. But Nishimura also suggested of integrating a hybrid of global upstream emission trading system (UGETS) and a concomitant technology development policy. This means that an agreed level of climate stability is required across all nations at low cost and without long bureaucratic loopholes, as well as designing a global climate market, which monitors usage of carbon within sectors. Governments must ensure free and unrestrained carbon transactions worldwide.

The key to development is money, so governments need to create a carbon market which issues price signalling with general consensus between government and the public. Key seed money is crucial for R&D – apparently something which the Japanese government is very good at. If cost is minimum, then equity is easier to manage. With this in mind, Nishimura suggested that upstream level is PRO-BUSINESS because it cuts away from tremendous bureaucrat pressures, therefore talking less and doing more.

Burden sharing between the North and South also came up. The developed world are bigger emitters than the South, yet they are paying the same price towards climate change. Also, emerging powers like China and India will not agree to international regulations but may hopefully accept long-term shared vision, because eventually their carbon rate will be as high as the EU and US with the rate of industrialisation within their country. For all countries to agree on international regulations, the North and South historic division needs to be cemented with trust by financing technological development for poorer nations (which is what Japan is working on). Thus, cheap solutions will be accepted by poorer countries.

In conclusion, international bodies need to decide on common grounds for regulation and achieving results at minimum cost and pressure. First the gap between countries needs to be filled, and simple solutions must be implemented in society – we cannot wait for governments to ‘talk things through’ as the Earth becomes hotter and hotter. There is massive pressure on the Obama administration to change political attitude in climate change policies, but our own governments must act now to solve problems internally.

Reflection upon 2008

Report One

I admit I have learnt more over the last few months than I have my entire life. Jumping head first into forming a 'career', I have gained contacts and formed relationships which I hope will last a lifetime. I am not ashamed to say that I am new when attending events and meeting people with expert knowledge, but I am not afraid of showing them my passion, integrity and ideas for the future, which I hope will grow. Upon all the people I have met in the last two months, the organisations which I have been active in and participating in a wide level of events and political conferences, here is an action point summary of how I plan to use the things I have learnt into active campaigns in liaison with partner organisations.

I will focus on Disarmament, Women's Rights, Climate Change, Business and the United Nations.

I plan to start on these research for 2009. Please leave a comment if you have further development ideas to what I am proposing and if you would like to be involved.

Current positions I have taken with organisations, which I am very active in:
WILPF - Youth Coordinator
Action for United Nation Renewal - Campaigns Officer
World Write - Political Analyst

Disarmament
Focused Learning
- Disarming the world from arms and nuclear weapons will deescalate wars, save women and children, stop conflict rapes, stop children being used as soldiers.
- No guns and weapons in the world will create harmony and stronger democracies for governing.
Action Points
- Lobby the government to reduce arms proliferation, stop arms trade treaty and persuade all countries to the Non-Proliferation Treaty.
- Merge nuclear disarmament and arms NGOs to create one dominant campaign.
Research Target
- Japan's non-nuclear constitution and how this can be replicated on a world-wide scale.
- Better understanding of depleted uraniums, cluster munition and radioactive waste.
- How arms business function and its relationship with the government.

Women's Rights
Focused Learning
- Women suffer the most in war and need to be empowered in the home, therefore need to be opened to informal education to know they HAVE rights.
- Women in the West still do not have equality: rise in human trafficking, rapes, kidnappings, murders, domestic violence, forced marriage, FGM, pay inequality, rise in prostitution.
Research Focus
- Exit strategies for coerced prostitution within the UK
- Talk to Trade Union with views on training schemes to help women back into respectable role in the workplace
- Form partnership with male/ gay&lesbian organisations to make awareness for peer support and pressure... men will only listen to men about how domestic violence is wrong
- Educate men about the links between violence against women and prostitution
Campaign Idea
- Rapport and support from feminist/ religious/ human rights organisations to lobby government to put laws to ban nudity in prevent print media (eg no nudity/ sexual service ads in newspapers and magazines)

Business and the United Nations
Focused Learning
- Countries are falling behind on their promise for the MDG
- Corporate Social responsibility is poorly upheld by large multinational organisations
- Lack of forced regulation and cooperation between businesses and governments
- Not enough is being done by business to help sustain development in poor countries
Research Focus
- How business' can cooperate in achieving MDG and how countries can catch up to their aims
- Good examples of UK business promoting CSR abroad
- Trade regulations and sanction information
Campaign Idea not formulated (need to attend to events)

Climate Change
Focused Learning
- Rate of global emissions is growing with resistance to drop being called by few developed countries: resistance to change by locals with failure to demonstrate or suggest solutions
- Lack of trust between North and South with the idea of burden sharing not being well received by poor nations
- Unrealistic aims and percentages highlighted in UN reports to reduce carbon footprint, emissions and use of fossil fuels
Research Proposal
- Vijay Mehta's "365 Climate Change" examined and developed to be produced at key board for discussion and implementation within local and international government bodies
Campaign Idea
- Hold national conferences not preaching the dangers of Climate Change but suggesting solutions as a means of educating and restoring hope
- Spread message to other NGOs to create strong grassroot campaign to urge government to start implementing solutions within a penalising system to push citizens to make effect change

Help me make this world a better place by joining NGOs with research and campaigns.

UN dinner

[Left to right: Talyn Rahman with Carol Vorderman and Milla Jovavich]

As part of a fundraising event, I was involved in organising a celebrity dinner to raise money for humanitarian work and raising awareness for the work of the United Nations. Highlighting the United Nations Foundation, esteemed guests Ted Turner (Founder of CNN), Prof. Amartya Sen (Nobel Peace Prize Economist), Paulo Coelho (best-selling author), Carol Vorderman (TV Presenter), Jonathan Granoff (Director of GSI) and Sir James Mirrlees (Prize winning economist) engaged in dialogue reflecting their work and the United Nations.

[Below left to right: Talyn Rahman with Stelios Haji-Ioannou and Amir Dossal]

Actress, Milla Jovavich introduced the finale act, Joss Stone (singer) onto the stage, where she sang three of her record breaking tracks including "Super Duper Love". The dinner invitees consisted of celebrities and billionaires with much paparazzi glamour. Celebrities in the photos include: Vivienne Westwood (Designer), Paul Anderson (film director), Amir Dossal (UN diplomat) and Stelios Haji-Ioannou (founder of EasyJet).

[Below: Talyn Rahman with Joss Stone]

Amnesty International: Women as Property

"Women As Property: Forced labour and forced marriage in the world today..."

In collaboration with Anti-Slavery International, Amnesty International hosted this special event highlighting forced marriage and labour around the world. This event was hosted to mark the International Day for the Abolition of Slavery. I was very intrigued to attend this event because it had some ties with my work with WILPF and was in fact incredibly insightful. Members of the VAW Group and Y-WILPF, Ella Page, Deborah Michelleti also attended.

The seminar highlighted the controversial fineline between exploitation of human rights and dignity to old customs and tradition. When is it ok for people to practice their custom and when should an outsider intervene in what looks like gross misconduct of human rights? Here is a summary of what the panelists highlighted in their speech, along with my action points as part of active learning.

Maggie Black (Independent Writer and Consultant):
- Highlighted the India ritual of poor women being forcefully married to a deity, which is enriched within their culture and custom
- With the absence of a real husband, these women are treated as sexual property for anyone who chooses to demand their services. They are not prostitutes (no pay) but it is within their role to offer such services to men... which is thus passed onto their children
- None of this is legal but law and tradition is treated differently in India, and such customs practiced in poorer areas
- It is male domination that prolongs such customs and parents lack the education to see that these initiation processes for their daughter does them nothing but harm
- However, the sense of 'goddess' in their life is very strong despite how these initiated daughters are treated
- There is no help from the police, however women have now been empowered with Maggie's help campaign against the goddess initiation and custom, and demand women's rights

Naana Otoo-Oyortey (Executive Director of FORWARD)
- Naana stressed the need to put child marriage onto UK's campaign agenda with plenty of rich examples and consequences felt by these children
- In parts of Africa, marriage is seen as an "opportunity". Children are forced to marry when still pre-pubescent and their bodies put through the ordeal of pregnancy and childbirth
- The norm is deeply embedded within some ethnic communities and do not understand that this custom is simply harming the child and their well-being, not forgetting taking away their childhood and innocence
- Child widows suffer the most, having to bring up a large number of her children alone, having her husbands physical possessions snatched from her and passed onto another man like cattle
- Child marriage is a neglected global development concern, whereas FGM is widely and globally discussed
- Clearly, poverty is linked and there is heavy gender discrimination issues (as men in that part of the world say that if a young girl looks good and has breasts, she should be taken!!!)
- Note that just because a country as a legal minimum age at which someone can marry doesn't mean that this age is monitored or enforced. These children may be forced to marry as soon as they are born

Kaviri Sharma (Focus on forced marriages in British South East Asian communities)
- The things Kaviri was saying in regards to South East Asian customs I understood and was aware of clearly because I've seen it happen to members of my extended family
- Forced marriages, she said, leads to domestic violence especially if the man was forced into the marriage without his verbal agreement
- Victims of forced marriage are largely women from 17-21 years of age
- Parents don't understand the difference between consent and what is forced, simply thinking that they are doing the best for their child

After the keynotes, we were presented a short video "Two Little Girls" which is an ad to highlighting Eastern Europeans young women who are potential victims of human sex trafficking. It is all in cartoon animation which made the advert that much more appealing to watch and easy to understand, and was a fantastic campaign endorsement.

Action points
- Watching "Two Little Girls" gave me an insight to how we can use documentaries made by WorldWrite. Greater outreach is necessary.
- There are lots of root causes to why these customs appeared and became the norm however with education, we can help these women feel empowered and stand against the inhumane treatment they receive - this can be done with the help of working groups.
- Poverty, I feel, is the major causes to most these decisions that parents take upon their children. What can business' do to help create sustainable jobs for women? Also, bring education to children so that they learn to grow strong and understand that this is not what life is.

Role of Women - House of Commons

Wednesday 26th November 2008

"The Changing Role of Women in the 21st Century" - House of Commons, London

The title says it all really. Firstly, it was amazing bumping into Bremley again in the seminar and having him introduce me to people after the event.

Secondly, the seminar had a nice variety of speakers who came from different personal and professional backgrounds with prominent things to say. Here is a summary of what I had gathered from their speeches, which made me think... "Yes, that's true and I agree!"

Theresa Villiers (Conservative MP)
- Highlighted major pay gap between the sexes still exist and must be narrowed down
- Evolution of the 'modern man': giving women the chance to have careers while men raised the family
- Responsibility of looking after the elderly still fall on women
- Women are under represented in the parliament but numbers growing SLOWLY
- Women feel the need to prove themselves more to men at work to prove their equality/superiority
- Apparently, David Cameron pressed a cross-party consensus to encourage women into politics
- As a woman, Theresa feels like her life is dominated by her career and has no time to start or raise a family

Janette Faherty (CEO of Avanta)
- There are no gaps in jobs between men and women across industries
- 73% women of working age are at work
- 58% of women with kids under 5 are at work
- 82% women earn LESS than men
- Suggested we need groups to support women reach the top
- Women have a DOUBLE BURDEN: working and raising the family so now have even more work to juggle than ever before. No policies or group sessions to ease this are in place
- Equality need to start at home: men need to do their share to make things easier for women

Dr Husna Ahmed (Chief Executive of Faith Regen)
- In her point of view, women in faith can tackle social inequality -> Domestic Violence was highlighted pretty strongly
- Faith is a form of identity, pursue the dignity of difference
- The need to build cohesive society within communities and be in a society where one is judged on skills, competency and nothing on the surface (Obama is a clear example)
- Question raise: Are we moving into a post-gender century???

Pauline Crawford
- Can we be post-gender? Pauline believes it is human nature not to be
- Equality Responsibility: In the last 6 years, women's role has changed but look at how conflict-areas are like
- Example of how the Titanic went down after believing it was 'unsinkable'. Lesson here ism don't build the same boat...metaphor reflected upon today's political society
- Need to create conversation between all sectors
- Good to see that women are taking responsibility for who they are! (bravo)

WorldWrite

Two months ago, I joined WorldWrite as the crew's Political Analyst.

WORLDwrite is a UK based charity with a remit to develop and provide educational projects and programmes which promote international understanding through the medium of documentaries and films. The media is the strongest form of bringing communication to nationals and the rest of the world. What I love about WorldWrite is their perception to look further to what our news is showing and be critical of what is being done about sustaining development and global equality.

The issues and stories covered are wide and I am proud to be a part of a team who are dedicated in showing people the full picture.

Currently, I am helping WorldWrite fundraise so all money can go to the work we are doing in Ghana. Rather than giving them food, blankets etc, we propose to give them a TV so they can be educated, relax and have some of the luxuries the West take for granted.

Please help raise our target by donating money to the website below. I have initiated a £2 campaign pledge for those people who feel with the credit crunch are unable to donate. £2 is nothing for us but together as a group can easily reach our target with unity.

http://www.justgiving.com/waffawants

For more on WorldWrite visit http://www.worldwrite.org.uk/index.html

Thank you for your support!

UNA - Global Business Partnership

November 24th 2008

Business partnership in a political scene is a topic I am highly interested. In this meeting, as arranged by Alison Williams, we discussed globalisation and individuals who are against MNEs doing work abroad. We also had a close look at the Millennium Development Goals (MDG), which members of the UN are falling behind on.

Personally, I believe activists need to put pressure on MNEs, as well as the government, to perform duties of social responsibility in the host country they are active in. However, journalist like Naomi Klein and Mark Thomas are renowned for anti-globalisation movements and articles about how businesses like Coca Cola and Nestle as examples, are in fact causing more harm than good. Surely we should concentrate on teaching these business' to help the local community improve their status and development rather than force business' to be closed off from helping the community and further their own interest?

Gordon Brown had initiated the "World Business and Development" award to encourage business' to call for positive action. However an award is only a surface acknowledgment to supposed 'good work' business' claim they are doing... is that enough? Developed countries are putting gross and unfair subsidies on their export making their product cheaper from those coming from poorer countries ... where is the justice in that? That is NOT free trade and I think it quite hypocritical that richer states discuss the development of poorer countries but inflict harsh taxes and stamp duties on them. Business' must play a key role in achieving the MDGs - the full potential of the private sector remains untapped.

An enabling business environment encourages entrepreneurship, allows local companies to thrive and attracts foreign investment offering companies the chance to achieve returns. For this to happen, you need good governance, a reliable system, political stability (lack of corruption), a reasonable tax structure and allowance of property rights. There needs to be more trust links between the North and South to break barriers and overcoming marginal gaps between rich and poor.

All but perhaps a small handful of countries are falling behind on their MDG - we must work together to put the MDG back on the forefront of our government's foreign policy if we are to create unity to our global neighbours.

Reclaim the Night

Saturday 22nd November 2008

This march and rally was organised by the London Feminist Network, starting off at Whitehall, finishing at

Euston. Central London was closed off to women protesting in solidarity to end violence against women. The march "Reclaim the Night" is a demonstration to show that women want to feel safe at night without the threat of being raped or attacked.

I met a few women who I felt increasingly disgruntled about, particularly women from English Collective of Prostitutes – who work against everything my group is trying to do, to criminalise men who buy sex and provide sex as trade. They want sex work to be decriminalised so that those working in the industry are treated like any other employee. I understand that being recognised as an employee will give sex workers the right o better health and pay, but I do not like the system of making sex a tool for finance. Tal says no!

From WILPF, only Diane, Deborah and I attended but we made noise by shouting chants and blowing our

whistles throughout the capital. It was cold, but it was fantastic to see so many young women like me in the crowd. It was even more amazing how many more people joined us. The march was massive and hope we made people think twice.

The march ended in a rally at Euston’s Quaker House. One of the guest speaker at the conference was one of

WILPF’s neighbour, a lady from Imkaan called Geeta. I think everyone was close to tears with Finn Mackay’s speech – she is fantastic in bringing out the message. We need the government to stop anyone buying sex, having women’s bodies plastered at the back of magazines, increase funding for emergency rape crisis, more policy protection and close down men’s clubs like Spearmint Rhino club not far from my university.

Having listened to those speeches, I feel determined to write a draft letter and petition to newspapers and magazines protesting and urging them to remove massage and escort services and dirty sex pictures from their print, having the back-up of other feminist institutions across England and the UK. This will be the next thing I bring up at my VAW WILPF meeting, but I will start to look into that before the turn of the New Year.

Meeting Vijay Mehta

Saturday 29th November 2008

It was a great honour for Vijay to accept me into his team after meeting me just once at his previous London seminar. To know that someone could see potential beyond my enthusiasm and basic knowledge made me feel like I could accomplish anything.

Vijay only has two other people in the team doing so much for the organisation. I was appointed (after some general discussion) to be Action for UN Renewal's 'Campaigns Officer'. My duty will be to disperse future events as widely as possible, produce publications, gain media contact and reorganising the website. The profile of the organisation is my responsibility, so I need to give the organisation a face-lift.
It is an extremely exciting role and I know I will be gaining rich skills and experience which hopefully will land me with a paid permanent role like planned. I've already dived into advertising Vijay's visit to Scotland to as many contacts as possible.

Watch this space!

London WILPF Meeting

Monday 17th November 2008

My first time attending a London WILPF meeting, and I was very surprised that we were discussing for 3 hours.

The main discussion on the agenda was action points to be taken after the "Voices of African Women" seminars and how to implement suggestions into our campaign. We all agreed the event was a marvellous success, considering that the women now want to extend WILPF branches into Sudan and Nigeria.

The main points I initiated were related to the AGM for 2009. I stressed that members were not aware that WILPF had active working groups and needed to promote these so we have more people helping with massive bulks of research. After being made co-coordinator of vaw, I felt it was my duty to address these issues. We really only have 5 people in the group and we are doing too much.
Instead of having dead workshops with no action in the AGM, each of us will have presentations of what each working group does and give other members the chance to participate.

My suggestions went through. Now, time to get my group tightened and fixed!

Violence Against Women meeting

Thursday 13th November 2008

First time since the VAW event, us young ladies got together to discuss where to move on from hereon in.

The meeting initially had a slow start but once taking control of where the meeting was heading to, everyone was delegated research tasks ready to report in January's group meeting. There was a general consensus that I become co-coordinator of the VAW team, believing that two people are needed to lead the group. I was more than happy to do so. Hopefully now our team will have a sharper focus concentrating on prostitution, considering how big VAW really is.

Research tasks:
1/ Information on the English Coalition for Prostitution
2/ Understand research projects of other feminist group
3/ Liasion with the Trade union
4/ Summarise previous VAW event notes for desemination
5/ Research reaction from male-dominated groups against prostitution (collaborate men's group with WILPF)

UN Renewal - World Shortages & Global Security

Saturday 8th November 2008, London

I attended a joint meeting with the Action for UN Renewal and World Disarmament Campaign national conference, highlighting food security, climate change and prospects for peace.

The conference consisted of 4 speakers, Duncan Green (Head of Research, Oxfam), Prof. Lord M Desai (Economist), Rita Payne (Chair, Commonwealth Journalists Association) and of course the co/chair of Action for UN Renewal and WDM Vijay Mehta.

I was beginning to understand more and more how things interlink in terms of trade, food shortages, development, business practices and economic groundwork. Speakers illustrated how the finance system is manipulated to cover the rich and how much more emphasis needs to be put on climate change by empowering farmers and poor people to fight droughts and prepare for harvest in the worst conditions.
We have superior technology which is not globally shared and there is much research needed to employ technology to make agriculture and harvesting more efficient without back-breaking labouring and dependence on the right climate. Those that depend on farming are the ones suffering from starvation and causing security uproar.

Duncan Green's speech made me think about our food crisis very deeply, considering this is my first insight to the real problems of food shortages and climate change.
"We are entering the age of scarcity", he said, speaking of how high oil prices is bringing up food prices, and the large consumption of meat taking up valuable resources for humans. Another problem is bio fuel (diesel/petrol made from maize, sugar...etc). This is a problem because poor people are losing out on these products as food resources for their own community or potential income. Instead, the techonology of biofuel is being consumed by the rich through other means. Bio fuel is a major competitor to food prices and not entirely a win-win situation at all.

Duncan also touched upon water scarcity and carbon energy.
1/ Rivers being drained, eg. river basin in South Australia running dry
2/ Unequal access to water and access to sanitation (Duncan says sanitation is more important than vaccination)
3/ Water shortage will bring battles in countries (security issue like the fight over the Nile)
4/ In terms of carbon - we have the technology for it but not the politics
5/ To keep global warming low, we need 1ton of carbon per person (one flight per person)
6/ Food prices is not affecting everyone - Tesco's income as gone up by 10%
7/ Carbon should be rationed by price and regulation

We need to decide which route to follow: Darwinism (survival of the fittest) vs Gandhism (cooperator).
I say we need to empower women within the home, to educate and regulate these changes. The more we do as individuals, the quicker we bring about change.

In between the seminar, I had the pleasure to meet Vijay and managed to rouse his suspicion in my interest in political development, and persuaded him to accept me into his UN committee. Very soon, I could become a campaigns researcher for his team.

Voices of African Women

Wednesday 5^th November 2008
House of Commons, London

UK WILPF did an amazing job organising this event to get the voices of African women in conflict heard in parliament. Big applause having succeeded in booking every seat in the room - some even had to stand, which in itself describes how popular the event was.

Ten grassroots African women campaigner, who travelled from Malawi, Sudan, Namibia, Zimbabwe, DR of Congo and Nigeria highlighted their human struggle in surviving under conflict conditions, injustice and revolt. This was a good seminar in highlighting how the atrocities in Africa is impacting on civilians and how these situations came about. There was a lot of focus on businesses, government on all levels and African people in and out of the continent.

I learnt many things from this seminar, much of it emotional and moving in nature. African women made great emphasis on eradicating arms trade, which fuels war and escalate violence and how large corporations seem to have more power and authority with the governing of resources than their own government. One of the speakers made it quite clear how oil companies like Shell, Cheron, Texaco seem to have overshadowed the government, while the government take a back seat or focus energy on ethical cleansing like that of Robert Mugabe. This understanding has made me even more determined to look into Corporate Social Responsibility and the chaos that MNE seem to cause in host countries where they set their business up in.

Here are some questions they were asking that grabbed my attention:
*What can the Commonwealth and EU do with MNEs who have influence in Africa?
> Ask for certification of resources going out of the country and have regulations/ monitoring schemes so that resources that are exported can be traced to its final destination
> African government should have tighter control over MNE trading with rebels and direct some benefits toward host countries rather than home countries
*Who is the International Community and what are they REALLY doing?
According to the women, Africa has a very vague idea on who or what the international community is, agreeing that entity like the UN are not doing enough to prevent war from breaking out, just as we had witnessed in recent news (a war broke out not far from UN offices in the Congo). They also asked who these wars are benefiting because it isn't the people. War equals to high death toll, murder, genocide, rape, and sexual violence, of course among other things. Women and children suffer the most as victims of gross human rights. Women are continually raped, killed, abused, tortured and children used as soldiers or a tool for diplomacy (in other words, killed).
So - are men really benefiting from these war?

The issue in Africa has become complex due to human greed, insolent behaviour and desire for wealth. Governments across the globe need to work together to cease arms trade so that no more victims are innocently killed deliberately or in cross-fire. People need to be re-educated, government need tougher regulations and punishment for breaking the law (please, no more talk of death, yeah!), and need better communication with MNEs who are using their resources.

It is a huge topic and not something that can be solved or learned overnight. But considering I have no knowledge of African politics, this was a good insight to what has been going on - 10 different accounts of what is happening in each of their country, which I believe is what made this seminar a success. Women felt empowered and men wanted to join us in wanting to spread the word about their experiences.

Well done Marie-Claire Faray for your excellent facilitating and translating. It was admirable, continue all your good work sister. We're all behind you!!!!