As Women and Gender NGOs, we have been pleased to see progress on gender issues during this COP. But how useful is a gender sensitive climate policy if there is no ambitious climate policy at all? Therefore, Ulrike Roehr from LIFE e.V., Germany, says "we don't want to mainstream gender in a zero outcome".
What is it that makes us walk out, after having observed this process for almost 20 years?
Prior to our arrival, we witnessed the criminalisation of environmental rights activists; upon our arrival we were faced with the irreparable losses and dam-ages that have occurred from Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines and a lack of adequate responses in the negotiations to compensation for loss & damage; we have seen a programme loaded with tokenistic dialogues and a lot of show without tangible outcomes; we witnessed undeserved attention for the fossil fuel industry and other polluting industries, and a complete lack of political mandate and commitment from the side of high-emitting countries. All in all, negotiations remain stagnant, Parties remain polarised and decisions remain rhetoric.
Parties dont deliver, thats why we are walking out of this COP but not out of this process!
Yvette Abrahams, GenderCC, South Africa, says Polluters talk - we walk. We will mobilise and be back even stronger in Lima for COP20 in 2014. Our message is twofold: Governments, stop hiding in the smog. Sisters and brothers in polluting countries, put pressure on your politicians to come up with clear mandates for finance and strong and legally binding emission targets.