The second lady of Ghana, Samira Bawumia is set to lead a climate change conversation at Harvard University in Cambridge-Massachusetts, USA on 13 and 14 November 2023.
This marks a significant step in her relentless campaign against climate change and its attendant effects on women and children.
As the Convener and Chair of the Africa Women and Children Conference (AFRIWOCC) and a recognised Global Ambassador of the United Nations Foundation’s Clean Cooking Alliance, and the World Health Organisation’s Health and Energy Platform for Action (HEPA), Samira Bawumia will host AFRIWOCC’s Pre-COP28 Climate Forum at the Harvard Kennedy School.
She will also address a Climate Change Adaptation Workshop and the West Africa Cluster Meetings, which will delve into the report on the effects of climate change in the Gulf of Guinea.
These meetings, held under the auspices of the prestigious Salata Institute for Climate Sustainability at Harvard University; Stanley Center for Peace and Security; the Lakshmi Mittal and Family South Asia Institute at Harvard University; and the FBX Center for Health and Human Rights at Harvard University, aim to confront the urgent challenges posed by climate change.
The discussions will critically assess the shared threats of climate change, such as extreme heat, flash flooding, sea level rise, and severe droughts, and their impacts on health, livelihoods, and the environment in West Africa and South Asia (both regions in the Global South).
These conversations are expected to transform into actionable policies by national governments, influencing climate adaptation strategies in these vulnerable regions.
The outcomes from these discussions will contribute to the Salata Institute for Climate and Sustainability-funded research, currently spearheaded by faculty research clusters on climate adaptation in West Africa and South Asia.
Participants include James H. Stock, Vice Provost for Climate and Sustainability at Harvard University; Emmanuel Akyeampong, Ellen Gurney Professor of History and Professor of African and African American Studies at Harvard University; Satchit Balsari, Assistant Professor in Emergency Medicine at Harvard Medical School; Peter Huybers, Professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences, and Environmental Science and Engineering at Harvard University, among other renowned experts in climate studies.
About AFRIWOCC:
Initiated by Hajia Mrs. Samira Bawumia, through the Samira Empowerment and Humanitarian Projects (SEHP), AFRIWOCC is a biennial high-level conference focused on women and children within the African continent.
The inaugural event in Accra, held on August 2nd and 3rd, 2023, themed “Amplifying the Voices of Women and Children in Climate Action”, brought together global leaders to engage in critical dialogues on climate impacts. Notable speakers included H.E. Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, President of the Republic of Ghana; Her Excellency Amina Mohammed, Deputy Secretary General of the United Nations; and Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Director General of the World Trade Organization, setting the tone for the discussions.