WEP Development Series – March 2022

The third edition of the Women Environmental Program’s development series, titled “Promoting Women’s Leadership in Environmental Management,” was recently held. The title was created to commemorate International Women’s Day 2022, which aimed to honor women’s contributions to environmental and climate change issues. The series, which took place on Thursday, March 24th via Zoom, was moderated by Jeannette Sequeria of the Global Forest Coalition, featured Jennifer Uchedu of susty vibes as a speaker.

The moderator emphasized the importance of forest protection, stating that 1.2 million people rely on the forest for their livelihood and that deforestation exacerbates existing inequity. Miss Anne-Marie Abaagu, the executive director, emphasized the importance of women’s leadership in environmental issues, emphasizing the need of women’s participation in decision-making and resource management.

Jenniffer Uchedu, the speaker, stated in her address that women are more sympathetic towards the environment and have a higher chance of managing resources that promote environmental sustainability. According to her, environmental love encourages sustainability, thus women and girls must be educated about the climate crisis, have access to financial resources and have a say in environmental policies. She emphasized that women should be given more platforms which encourages their participation in the environment, girls should be groomed about sustainability and using sustainability terms at an early age for inclusion on popular development issues and stand against stereotypes that discourages women participation.

She concluded by challenging civil society to welcome more female volunteers and mentor them, resulting in empowerment and a higher position for them to lead environmental management projects.