The majority in Africa — who are the poor women — bear the brunt of the effects of climate change yet they least contribute to it.

As the world grapples with the effects of climate change, the topic could not be ignored at the ongoing 3rd High Level forum on Aid Effectiveness.

The realisation is that majority in Africa — who are the poor women — bear the brunt of the effects of climate change…

Peace baskets bring hope to Rwandan women

KIGALI – In the courtyard of a red brick home in the district of Gitarama outside Kigali, three women sit together on a bench, laughing and gossiping as they wrap lengths of crimson twine around a curl of bunched straw. While it may seem like little more then Rwandan tradition, these weavers represent an economic success the tiny landlocked country has earned by the hands of its women.

The Global MDG3 Champion Torch is a Danish initiative launched in 2007 to strengthen the commitment of governments and donor organisations to promote gender equality and women empowerment – third in the list of Millennium Development Goals.

As the sole male speaker at a debate on women’s rights and development, Ghana’s Minister of Finance has been left to carry the gender torch… in more ways than one. Kwado Baah-Wiredu was handed over a ‘MDG3 Torch’

Sub-Saharan Africa accounts for the majority of the world’s poorest countries. But it is Asia that gets most of the aid. That’s because the money is going to countries experiencing conflict.

More and more aid is going into tackling terror rather than combating poverty – ironically, itself a root cause of terrorism.

According to a report produced by the Reality of Aid Network, financial assistance to countries experiencing severe and prolonged conflict

“The world is confronted by an alarming paradox. The poorest countries – who are not to blame -are suffering from climate change that has come about [from actions] by the developed world.”