Ladies and Gentlemen, special guests, and in particular, our 2014 Miss Earth South Africa Ambassadors,

 

As the representative of the South African government, as a woman, and as a citizen of this beautiful country, I am proud to stand here today.

To celebrate the achievements of the group of dynamic, patriotic young South African women in whose honor we are hosting this event today.

The month of September is Heritage Month: a time for us to reflect on that which truly makes us proud: and infuses in us a sense of belonging, of oneness, of unity – our South Africanness.

In this room today we have women of all cultural, religious, ethnic, and linguistic backgrounds – who have all travelled a different path to become who they are today.

And yet we are united by a common purpose: a commitment to making South Africa a better place. For all who live in it, yes, but also for those who are yet to come.

The dedication of these young women in the room today is the more extraordinary if one considers that they are from what some have called the Generation of Fashionable Causes.

With so many challenges facing society: and young people exposed to a range of pressures, some of unheard of barely two decades ago – it is often hard to make oneself heard above the noise. In an age of 24-hour news, of Twitter, of Facebook and Instagram: interest in particular issues may be transient: trumpeted and shouted from the rooftops one minute, forgotten the next.

But this contest does indeed make itself heard above the noise: nurturing a new generation of environmental activists with a passion for their cause – infused with a sense of empathy that is indeed rare among the young people of today.

Ladies and gentlemen, many heard our Constitution praised as among the most progressive in the world. What is less apparent to many is just how ahead of its time this document was on the matter of environmental rights.

The inclusion of clause 24 in the Bill of Rights: which lays the groundwork for the legislative regime for the protection of the environment, for the promotion of conservation, and for sustainable development – is one of few such clauses included in a Bill of Rights anywhere in the world. When we celebrate Heritage Month: it is also this Constitution we are celebrating…in that we can hold our heads high among the nations committed to environmental justice and the preservation of our natural resources.

Our abundant resources: productive land, clean water, healthy air, beautiful landscapes, flora, fauna and wildlife, must not only benefit us today but also our children and grandchildren.

 

Because we know that without clean water, there is no life; without the protection of plant and animal life, there is no tourism, and without tourism there is no benefit to rural communities through the development of sustainable utilisation projects, and without all of these, no jobs and livelihoods.

 

Like many other countries, the number one threat to our long-term sustainable development, economic growth and quality of life is climate change.  The impacts of climate change can be seen in declining agricultural production, higher food prices and food insecurity; which are most severely felt in developing countries like ours. 

 

The potential impacts of climate change undermine our efforts to secure food, water, economic development and human security, including addressing health and poverty issues resulting from the rapid loss of critical biodiversity and habitat destruction.

 

Ladies and Gentlemen, our continent is among the most vulnerable to these impacts, with future temperature increases of 4 degrees or more predicted in some African countries.

 

So it is with great pride that I see here today a group of young African women who, in an age where they could be supporting many of those aforementioned so-called fashionable causes: are instead passionate advocates for this most crucial issue: the protection of the nurturing, sustaining life force that is the planet from which we all come.

 

Young women who aren’t just thinking of themselves, and of the next photo opportunity: or as you young people like to call them, selfies – but of their communities; and how to empower others within those communities to make a positive impact.

 

You represent the future of this country: a future we as the South African government, and as the Department of Environmental Affairs are actively working for. A future where environmental advocacy is mainstreamed: and considerations of environmental impact are factored into all decision-making.

 

Sustainable development is key to prosperity. Not just for South Africa, but for the continent and for the world. And we know that to drive this vision, we need women.

 

For as the late celebrated African environmentalist and Nobel laureate Wangari Maathai noted: it is women who are the first victims of environmental degradation. On our continent, in particular, it is women who walk for hours looking for water, who fetch firewood, and who provide for their families. Dr Maathai movingly wrote that “we owe it to ourselves and to the next generation to conserve the environment so that we can bequeath our children a sustainable world that benefits all.”

Under the leadership of this government, the environmental sector has created and sustained engagement platforms where women’s voices are heard, not just as victims, but as agents for change.

In 2005 and 2006 we hosted Women and the Environment conferences - that laid a firm basis for a national women and environment agenda. The national Women and Environment Forum, established in 2010, continues to provide a platform for women to share experiences and involvement in environmental and sustainable development programmes, share best practices, exchange knowledge, skills and expertise, and explore networking, capacity building and other communications mechanisms of support.

Our department has a dedicated Directorate of Transformation and Special Projects designed to mainstream and monitor projects that benefit women.

Because we don’t believe in a top down form of environmental advocacy – but in partnerships.  We have prioritized support of women-owned sustainable development small, medium and micro enterprises in areas such as secured funding, investment and business management.

In line with the Skills Development Act of 1998, we have administered the Environmental Sustainability Learnership Programme. To date nearly 300 female learners have benefited: going on to formal employment in business, Government and non-Governmental and community based organisations.

Women have been beneficiaries of departmental career pathway planning programmes. Since 2011 74 women have been awarded bursaries; in addition to an external bursary scheme where 189 women students have been beneficiaries.These initiatives have gone a long way towards addressing the skills gap in the environment and reducing unemployment, especially of young women.

Support of women in the formal and informal economies has been prioritized. In 2010 we convened the first national Green Economy Summit; where women actively participated in discussions around key environmental issues: including sustainable waste management, sustainable transport and infrastructure, clean energy, agriculture, food production, and sustainable consumption.

This department in 2013 inaugurated a unique skills development and job creation pilot project, Groen Sebenza: offering unemployed graduates and school-leavers the opportunity to work in the biodiversity sector.

Our National Green Fund has injected much needed funding into women-headed green economy projects like the Muthi Futhi project in Edakeni, near Eshowe, Uthungulu District in KwaZulu Natal province. Here a group of rural women are pioneering the commercial production of selected indigenous traditional medicinal plants, with the sale of herbal products ensuring a fully functional and operational enterprise that provides green jobs.

A similar such initiative is the 100 percent women owned Bema Bamboo project in Mandeni, Ilembe District in KwaZulu Natal. This project aims to produce top-quality Beema Bamboo biomass feedstock.

We are supporting supporting a host of other projects around the country that promote enviromental conservation, but at the same time impart skills to women in sectors such as wetland conservation and rehabilitation. These include those within the ambit of the Expanded Public Works Programme such as Working for Wetlands, Working for Water, Working for Fire, Working for Waste and the Land Care Programme. In 2013/14 alone, 80 658 work opportunities were created for women under the environment and culture sector programme. This was an increase from the 2012/13 73 678 work opportunities created for women.

Honoured guests, the management of our natural resources, and the promotion of ecologically viable social, economic and cultural development – is one of the key policies of this government.

In the furtherance of this sustainable development, women have always been seen as integral partners. It is with this knowledge that we join hands as South African women as we work towards the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, which are about to replace Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). 

And in this, we reiterate our support of the The Miss Earth South Africa pageant – whose goals of community empowerment, women’s advocacy and grassroots participation, so closely align with the government’s own vision.

 

I congratulate all those participating in the 12th Annual Miss Earth South Africa Ambassador competition.

I am confident that the young woman wins this year will help to move South Africa forward; be a tireless and passionate advocate for the crown she wears, and in the spirit of Miss Earth South Africa: give back to our people and empower them too.

For as the celebrated biodiversity activist, feminist, physicist and author Vandana Shiva once reminded us humans: “You are not Atlas carrying the world on your shoulder..it is good to remember that the planet is carrying you.”

I thank you.

ISSUED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL AFFAIRS