First Lady, counterparts undertake to promote zero waste, gender equality
THE coming together of African First Ladies to deliberate on gender equality and environmental preservation is an essential element to promoting unity and economic progress on the continent, Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi has said.
He made the remarks in his keynote address at the launch of the “We are Equal” campaign, a continental initiative by African First Ladies and First Lady Dr Isaura Nyusi’s “Zero Waste Movement”.
The launch brought together First Ladies from Zimbabwe, Kenya, Nigeria, Malawi and Botswana. Queen of Eswatini and Rwandan First Lady sent high-level representatives.
First Lady Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa, who is already a signatory to the “Zero Waste Movement”, outlined strides that she has made towards the sustainable management of Zimbabwe’s environment.
Amai Mnangagwa signed the “Zero Waste” declaration and launched the “We Are Equal” campaigns last year.
In her remarks, Dr Mnangagwa spoke about the country’s first-of-its-kind colour-coded underground waste disposal and separation facilities and the Geo Pomona waste-to-electricity project, which drew interest from other First Ladies who were keen to learn more from her.
President Nyusi expressed delight at the presence of the First Ladies, who he said were guided by a converging agenda of inclusive and sustainable development and focused on gender equity and environmental preservation.
“The First Ladies, for their outstanding social role and position, play their part as important and frontline agents of behavioural transformation in building more just, inclusive and harmonious societies on our continent. Your Excellencies, the Organisation of African First Ladies for Development (OAFLAD), has been positioning itself as an important cooperation platform among African countries,” he said.
Through OAFLAD, President Nyusi said, African First Ladies have played an increasingly active and visible role in promoting social causes, particularly for the most vulnerable groups in the framework of child, maternal health, prevention and combating of HIV and AIDS, protection of children, girls and the elderly, promotion of women empowerment and gender equity mainstreaming, and environmental preservation, among others.
“Under the motto that unity is strength, the actions of OAFLAD increasingly demonstrate the true sense of the African wisdom that ‘if you want to move quickly, go alone, but if you want to go far, go accompanied’. Above all, the presence of Your Excellencies, First Ladies and representatives of the First Ladies is indeed an act of celebration of Pan African ideals advocated by the founding fathers of our post-colonial states.
“In this regard, OAFLAD campaign ‘We are Equal’, whose launch we witness here today, materialises the essential truth enshrined in the noble principle of the Universal Charter of Human Rights of equality between men and women,” he said.
This initiative, President Nyusi observed, shows that the First Ladies have been taking up, with responsibility, the challenge of ensuring that in their countries, the realisation of the principle that all persons are born equal and enjoy equal rights regardless of differences based on sex, race, ethnicity, physical and social status.
Gender equity and mainstreaming and the elimination of gender disparities in all sectors, the Mozambican leader said, also constitute one of the commitments assumed by African leaders within the scope of the African Union Agenda 2063 and the fifth goal of the United Nations Agenda 2030 on Sustainable Development.
President Nyusi spoke on waste management, which he said was not a trivial matter.
“Waste impacts the life of people in both urban and rural environment, but it also contributes to ecosystems degradation, particularly in aquatic environments, both marine and river,” he said.
“The zero waste approach goes beyond solid waste management. Zero waste implies a society adopting sustainable production and consumption practices to maintain a lifestyle that is in harmony with nature and remove from it only those resources that people don’t need and that nature can restore,” he said.
First Lady Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa shared with the conference the various initiatives she is undertaking to promote good waste management in Zimbabwe and enjoined guests to play their roles in fostering cleanliness.
“I wish to express my sincere gratitude for the invitation extended to me for this wonderful and equally important event. Ladies and gentlemen, we agree that over the years, the volume of waste that has been generated has exponentially increased as urbanisation and industrialisation inevitably accelerates on our continent,” she said.
She added: “In response to this contemporary challenge, Zimbabwe has developed various plans and strategies as the Government moves to ensure the country has sustainable environmental management and waste disposal systems.
“Further and to inculcate the culture of cleanliness, His Excellency the President of the Republic of Zimbabwe Dr ED Mnangagwa declared the first Friday of each calendar month a national clean-up day.
“Through this important intervention, we have seen remarkable results as the programme has become entrenched into our culture. Our national stakeholders, including corporates, have incorporated the day into their annual work calendars in support of Government efforts on waste management.”
Dr Mnangagwa spoke about her involvement in recycling.
“I launched, through my office, the First Lady’s recycling programme, which helps marginalised and underprivileged women and youth receive training on recycling as a business and this has encouraged people to benefit from the empowerment project and clean environments.
“The Zimbabwe Government is championing the involvement of the private sector in economic development of the country as espoused in Zimbabwe’s development blueprint, the National Development Strategy 1.
“Waste management is an area that we have seen the private sector taking a keen interest. A successful example is the recently commissioned Geo Pomona waste-to-energy project in Harare, a first-of-its-kind in Zimbabwe that is expected to enhance the cleanliness of the city while providing electricity to the national grid,” she noted.
She also urged young people to participate in waste management and recycling.
“In the same vein, there is need to get our young people involved in waste management and recycling as means of creating the muchneeded employment as well as assisting local authorities in their endeavours. Your Excellences, ladies and gentlemen, the significance of zero waste tolerance is premised on advocacy for improved waste management systems that encourage responsible waste disposal and recycling.
“We, therefore, advocate for law reforms in local governance to ensure transparency and accountability for improved service delivery,” added Dr Mnangagwa.
She called for collaborations between governments, local authorities, private sector and citizens to raise awareness around solid waste management and good environmental stewardship.
“Indeed, for zero waste tolerance to be a resounding success, it requires everyone to play their part, from governments to local authorities, private sector and citizens.
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