BY Akosita Sokidi
My name is Akosita Sokidi. I am from Fiji. This is my reflection on my first ever experience as an attendee of the 2021 UN Climate Change Conference COP26. The conference was held in Glasgow, Scotland from the 5th to the 11th of August 2021.
As a concerned young woman of a small pacific island nation, this opportunity was a privilege stemming from my experience of climate change impact. This experience has not only affected me but our islands and homes as a whole.
However, with this opportunity, I had a broader understanding of how the feminist movement works. I saw different feminists representing their families, organizations, countries, and most of all, nature. They were aware of how important their roles are in trying to win their fight for Gender and Climate Justice.
Apart from COP26, I also attended the People’s Summit for Climate Justice on A Grassroots Feminist Path to Climate Justice. This session however was an important aspect for me. Important groups of people and stakeholders not being there was a big learning. These included those grassroots communities that are frontliners of climate justice issues happening on the ground but are left out of these spaces because of Covid-19 pandemic.
Regardless, we need to push for more visibility of people from grassroots networks organizing in these spaces. We need to keep speaking and pushing for a change and a good future which cannot happen if we only speak up once and do not act now!
BY AKOSITA SOKIDI