Statement of AUPWAE at the first Open-ended Working Group meeting of the Global Framework on Chemicals 2025, held in Punta del Este, Uruguay.
Thank you, Co-Chair for the floor.
My name is Anna Odur and I speak on behalf of the Association of Uganda Professional Women in Agriculture and Environment (AUPWAE).
AUPWAE, a network of over 250 professional environmentalists, agriculturalists and related professions, seeks to promote the welfare, skilling and capacity development of its target group, the vulnerable women and girls in rural areas.
We welcome all efforts towards the operationalization of the Global Alliance on Highly Hazardous Pesticides (HHPs). We thank the GFC Secretariat and other institutions who have been instrumental in delivery of related key information documents including document UNEP/GFC/OEWG1/INF/14 that outlines the draft operational framework of the Alliance. We further support the submissions made by IPEN and other colleagues on the importance of the Alliance.
Key challenges we have encountered in effectively addressing HHPs include: limited knowledge on highly hazardous pesticides particularly for vulnerable communities; And the need for access to products and financing mechanisms for a meaningful shift towards safer alternatives.
Our recommendations:
- We encourage proactive ongoing multi-sectoral awareness campaigns on HHPs, with materials that are translated and verified into local languages. The information disseminated should include health, economic and environmental impacts of highly hazardous pesticides and should be targeted to government ministries, pesticides regulators and users, civil society representatives, development agencies, media and the general public.
- We call for open and continued consultations on HHPs alternatives at all levels and with all stakeholders, leaving no one behind particularly women and girls who are largely still excluded from decision making spaces.
Thank you very much.
Towards women smallholder farmers resilience to climate change: WOSFER Project
AUPWAE has partnered with the Institute of Gender and Development Studies, Makerere University and with support from key institutions, in the implementation of the project titled: Building Women Smallholder Farmers’ Empowerment and Adaptive Capacities: A Pathway to enhancing Women’s Resilience to Climate Change in Uganda (WOSFER Project). This action research project is on-going in Lyantonde and Katakwi districts and seeks to enhance women’s empowerment and resilience to climate shocks among others.
AUPWAE actively participated in the National Agricultural Extension Week 2024
AUPWAE actively participated in the National Agricultural Extension Week 2024, which took place from 28th October to 1st November at Bugolobi in Kampala. It was a knowledge-filled and key-skills sharing week where participants engaged around the concept of making extension services count for robust, resilient and competitive fast-food systems. Participants were also urged to build resilience in the face of climate challenges among other shocks. Throughout the week, there were various thematic sessions on food safety including chemicals in agriculture, resilience along agricultural value chains and emerging technologies for example the use of AI in agriculture.
Gender sensitization
In order to contribute to gender sensitive practices, programs and policies in Agriculture and environment, AUPWAE conducted gender sensitization seminars for communities, private and public institutions.
Advocacy
The association carries out advocacy for inclusion of issues concerning women advancement, agriculture development and environment conservation in national agenda and policies.
Networking
AUPWAE Networking activities include;
- Information gathering on organisations with a similar mission.
- Subscription/ affiliation to umliella Associations/organisations/societies
- Publicity of AUPWAE activities through print and electronic media
- Organise and attend meetings of networks.
As a UNEP-accredited organisation, AUPWAE is a participant and contributor to various environmental policy processes including actively networking within the Major Groups and Stakeholders platform.
Commissioned studies and training
AUPWAE conducts studies and trainings relevant to the advancement of the rural women, girl child, agriculture development and conservation of natural resources base
Mentoring and career guidance
AUPWAE conducts career guidance and mentoring to students and teachers in schools as a strategy for increasing the pool of professional women in science disciplines in general and Agriculture and Environment in particular. The aim is to demystify science, enable girls to overcome socially instilled fears and biases and become more interested in science subjects and science careers. As such the Association does the following;
- Career guidance at lower Primary Schools level, in order to sensitise both girls and boys when still young
- Inclusion of teachers, parents and guardians in the career guidance process
- Advocacy for incorporation of career guidance in school syllabi
- Operationalising the mentoring programme to expose girls to more women scientists at work
- Implementation of programmes for girl-child school dropouts to enable them continue with their studies and provide skills training for those who cannot continue
- Since the objective of this project is to increase the pool of women scientists, AUPWAE compiles profiles of successful women scientists in form of documentaries, magazines and posters as a way of mentoring the young girls in schools.