News

Bertha Nherera

17/12/2009

I work for an organisation called Participatory Ecological Land Use Management (PELUM) in Zimbabwe. We are a networking organisation which helps farmers learn new techniques so they can have enough food for themselves and their communities.

This is my first year here at the climate change conference. When you first arrive, it’s quite confusing. There were what seemed like thousands of people everywhere with so much to say - it was so overwhelming for me, I had a lot to say but wasn’t sure where and how I was going to speak!

I then came to this IIED side event on development and climate change which finally made me feel that I could take something useful from this experience for the women I work with as they are the ones that are most affected by climate change.

I have met so many interesting people from around the world and the sharing of knowledge has been great. I did a presentation today which focused on how we are coping with drought in Zimbabwe and how we are adapting our lives to live with climate change. I was so happy that I had enough time to speak about action-how we implement our ideas. I say this because we all like to have consultations and enjoy these events but its action that is really important.

This deal is so crucial because we cannot continue to live this way without thinking of the impact we are making. It is not the problem of one or two countries; it is a global problem and because it is a global problem we all need to work together to find the right solutions. I hope we have a deal which speaks about adaptation and it sets real targets.

Let’s hope the deal is one that we can all unite behind.

Sumaya Ahmed Zakieldeen

16/12/2009

Hi I’m one the Sudanese negotiators here in Copenhagen, we are the ones trying to make a good deal happen. It’s tough work being a negotiator and even tougher when you realise what is at stake. I think about people back home and the drought. We have increased drought – and then sudden floods. It’s alarming and really having an impact on the lives of so many in our communities.

I’ve been coming to this climate change conference since 2005. Back then our delegation was just five people. With the growing interest from our government on climate change, and the fact we are chair of the G77 - a coalition of developing countries – we are now 11 people. This is the same for most African countries, over the years our numbers in the negotiation room has gone up and this can only be a good thing. I’m really proud of Africa during these negotiations, I think we are really influential, we know what the priorities for the continent are and the process has allowed us to engage a lot. Engagement is important but what’s more important is the text which will be signed at the end. We hope our efforts and everyone who is backing a good deal gets that good deal. The right deal is crucial to so many people and their livelihoods. If it doesn’t happen, it will not be a reflection of what the people really want and what they have been campaigning for. I have to say it is very difficult, having the whole world into a room and getting them to agree. There are times when some countries will disagree with one line and another country will come up with ‘an intelligent’ solution to the problem and suggest another line! We could be there for hours till everyone is satisfied. Last night I left at 1am.

I think from inside the negotiating room we are all worried about the time we have to make a good deal. WE don’t have long. On top of that, Sudan, along with many other countries is worried that we will not get a legally binding deal. Having a political agreement which is not legally binding will be a disaster and not a reflection of the hard work that has gone into it.

Susan Nanduddu - First Africa Bicycle Information Organisation (FABIO) Uganda

15/12/2009

Hi – I’ve travelled all the way here from Uganda where I work for an organisation that helps to bridge the transport gap in rural communities.

The atmosphere here at the minute is really alive and you can feel the optimism from the NGOs who are lobbying their country’s negotiators to come up with a good deal. There has been so much hype around this conference than in previous years and there are so many more people here than ever before. I think this is a good thing as it forces governments to remember that when they sign the agreement they are making a promise to the people of the world, who in turn will make their governments stick to what they have promised.

This is my first time at this conference and I am really proud to be here. It’s so important to us all. I am enjoying my time here. It feels like I’ve a platform to talk to the world. Everyone has something interesting to say and I like the fact that I am surrounded by likeminded people. I’ve attended lots of side events including a really interesting one which told the story of people migrating from one part of the world to another to escape climate change. It scares me to think that people will actually have to up and leave their homes because we didn’t take climate change seriously.

One thing I’ve noticed is there’s a slight difference between the NGOs in developed countries and NGOs in developing countries - especially Africa. NGOs in the developing countries hold very little hope that anything worthwhile will come out of the negotiations. Some of us have slipped into being pessimistic. NGOs in developed countries feel much more optimistic about the outcome. I just hope they are right.

You know, when I left Uganda there was so much rain it began to kill the crops, the farmers just didn’t get a chance to harvest them because the rain would not stop. If I told you there are 30 million people in Uganda and about 80% of them are dependent on agriculture, you can start to see why we must have a real deal here in Copenhagen. As the rain is unpredictable farmers end up losing so many crops as they cannot plan around the seasons any more. This leads to food insecurity and has massive impacts on livelihoods and the whole community. If I could speak to all the world leaders my only words will be that we need a united world, we need to respect each other and we need to take action now.

Sherpard Zvigadza

14/12/2009

Hi - I work for an organisation called ZERO – Regional Environmental Organisation Zimbabwe which focuses on finding solutions for climate change in our communities. I’ve been coming to this climate change conference for the last four years. Every year it makes more and more of an impact on me. I love coming as it allows me to keep up to date with what the rest of the world is doing around climate change and how it all links up with the people on the ground who are most affected.

The atmosphere here at the minute is really alive and you can feel the optimism from the NGOs who are lobbying their country’s negotiators to come up with a good deal. There has been so much hype around this conference than in previous years and there are so many more people here than ever before. I think this is a good thing as it forces governments to remember that when they sign the agreement they are making a promise to the people of the world, who in turn will make their governments stick to what they have promised.

World leaders and ministers are not here yet. But there’s a lot of negotiating going on- you can see it! These negotiators only have a few days to get it right, which to be honest doesn’t fill me with hope - so many countries have to agree! Back home, I can say that climate change is affecting the whole continent, and Zimbabwe has not been spared. Temperatures are rising and some parts are vulnerable to floods. Muzarabani which is near the Zambezi river close to Mozambique is flooding and we are seeing high cases of malaria. On the other hand many places are prone to drought. The backbone of our economy is agriculture, farming is what we know, but you can’t grow crops if you have no water, and the drought means water is hard to come by. Let’s hope those leaders make a deal that works for us.