“Good afternoon sisters. This is my reflection from COP so far.”
“We arrived yesterday and went straight into the opening ceremony. Earlier in the morning, we joined the opening action on the river. There were boats, music, and a powerful march on the water. It was one of those moments where you can feel movements coming together with one heartbeat, one purpose.”
“In the evening, we attended the opening of the People’s Summit. That space felt honest. People spoke freely, and you could feel the energy of communities who have been fighting for years.”
“Today we attended a panel on just transition, where our own sister Wei Farai was a panellist. Many social movements spoke about the realities they are facing in their countries. Over and over we heard the same message:
there is no just transition without women, without rural people, without the communities who are facing the climate crisis every day.”
“We heard people saying clearly that we must leave the coal in the hole, leave the oil in the hole. People spoke about how development has been shaped around extraction, and how these models destroy us instead of building anything for our futures.”
“For me, it became very clear that the inside process will not bring real change. The discourse is the same. The pace is the same. Nothing shifts. If we want true transformation, it has to come from social movements, from the rural, from the indigenous, and especially from women. We are the ones carrying the consequences of the climate crisis.”
“There were also strong calls for reparations and real compensation for the losses communities have suffered. People whose homes, crops, and lives have been destroyed were represented by leaders who spoke boldly and honestly.”
“This moment at COP has also opened space for us to connect with other movements like MST, La Via Campesina, and many we did not know before. We even met donors who are interested in supporting the people who are truly working on the ground, the rural people who make change happen every day.”
“This is what I wanted to share for now. Thank you.”
These words from our sister remind us once again why the Rural Women’s Assembly continues to take up space, speak truth, and defend life. Her voice carries the message of thousands of rural women across Southern Africa:
real climate justice begins with us, the women on the frontlines.
