Wikimedia Community User Group Kenya/Events & Projects/Wiki for Human Rights 2022

Wiki for Human Rights High Level Workshop in Nairobi,Kenya

The Wiki for Human Rights High Level Workshop in Nairobi, Kenya is scheduled for 12th-13th April.

In line with the #WikiForHumanRightsglobal campaign, whose theme for 2022 is Right to a Healthy Environment, the Wiki for Human Rights High Level Workshop seeks to;

1. Engage experts in the area of Human rights , climate change and Biodiversity to identify gaps in information on Kenya’s environmental issues, regulation and human rights topics.
2. Engage and create a network of environmentalists, human rights advocates and journalists.
3. Spark conversations on climate justice and right to a healthy environment, land and natural resources protection.

The workshop will be funded through a grant by the Foundation.

Expected Outcome

• Increased knowledge on the state of climate change, climate Justice and human rights and environmental violations in Kenya that will help identify content gaps
• Recruit New wikipedia Editors
• Draft Recommendations that can be used to inform policy among other things.

Activities

The workshop will run for two days; Day one will be the main day and will be hybrid. We will have a moderated panel discussion with speakrers drawn from environmental conservation, Climate justice, Biodiversity and Human Rights. The sessions will be live streamed on Facebook and Youtube.

Youth Cafe/Breakout Sessions The workshop will also incorporate a break out session that will give representaives of youth organisations and other CSOs room to highlight their work at the grassroot levels and present their recommendations.

Day 2 will be a virtual folow up event set aside to introduce interested particpants to Wikimedia Projects and Wikipedia editing.

Potential Partners 
We have mapped out the following organisations and initiatied conversations to provide speakers for the panel discussion.

• The Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC)
• UNEP
• Kenya Climate Change Working Group
• GreenBelt Movement
• Stand Up Shout Out (SUSO)
• Cordio East Africa

Coordinating Team

1. Winnie Kabintie - Project Lead
2. Cmwaura - Coordinator

Social Media Channels

NOTES - WIKIPEDIA WIKI 4 HUMAN RIGHTS WORKSHOP

         12th /MARCH/2022

THEME -THE RIGHT TO A HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT AS A HUMAN RIGHT COMPONENT

What is the link between human rights and the environment?' Olivia Bonner, a healthy environment means every person has access to clean air, a safe climate, healthy ecosystems, and biodiversity, is able to live and work in a non-toxic environment with clean water and sanitation, and has access to healthy and sustainably produced food. Protection of the environment is a necessary enabling condition for the effective. Being able to live a life of dignity, there must be good nature surrounding. Human life is dependent on a healthy environment which is both man-made and natural resources. Trying to push the component of a healthy environment as a component of human rights. Seeing countries trying to push legislation that pushes this course. The people must require and demand the right to a healthy life. The legal framework is there but the biggest challenge is the people knowing and demanding the same. Peter Moll took the participants through an exercise to show them how living in an unhealthy environment is because of an individual’s negligence. When it comes to human rights, we must understand how these rights are interrelated to other abilities to maintain our habitants. As we push for this one big role we all have to people is to help those around us understand ‘how human rights and the environment are linked. Veronica Thamaini, the role of Wikipedia as far as access to information about human rights, and climate change or, the role it is playing is ensuring information can be easily accessed. Knowledge and taking action is very vital.

Phyllis Omido, Executive Director Center For Justice Governance and Environmental Action(CJGEA). She is an indicator that no voice is too small, even when 13 years later she continues to seek justice. To think years later she hasn’t been able to get justice for the small community she is representing. A lot of people/bodies that have the responsibility of taking care of environmental matters, some of the tire on the way. After discovering her son was suffering from pollution-related illness, she felt the urge to continue with the fight, this is after she had been in and out of the hospital, later on after discharge, she randomly picked 10 children and had them tested. All 10 children tested positive for the blood poison infection.

What are the role of young people and environmental justice? Peter Moll, young people should use lots of advocacy, and ask the government to listen in and understand while showing they are ready to collaborate. For good governance, we must break down the policies and help in passing out the information, make them understandable, get data from young people and ensure they are passed down to the right people for action to be taken. Youths must amplify their voices.

How do enable communities with information? Peter Moll, suggests that the approaches we use must be smart and look at the end goal. To look at the issues and offer the issues with solutions of the way forward. With the intention to break isolation and barriers and create partnerships and build bridges. What are some of the challenges to environmental and climate justice that the world is currently dealing with? There is a problem with the implementation of the laws, is it protecting people. A lot of these issues affect more than one community or country. It is everyone’s responsibility. Have conversations about human rights with a healthy environment at the forefront. Access to information and knowledge will be the first big step. Olivia: - Currently people are keen on matters of a healthy environment. The spaces are decreasing but with the help of everyone, the framework should enable people to understand the environment needs us to speak about it.

Veronica: There definitely are knowledge or content gaps on matters i.e. agriculture. Is this information easily accessible, it is worth sharing? Have we documented their works on a healthy environment, to enable even the future generations? We should recognize the moment that we are in. It is a good moment, it is a time when there is a movement, in different spaces (gender issues, wildlife, climate) and we speak out. Anyone can contribute to the wiki spaces on matters close to their hearts and issues they fight for. We need to work with people on the ground, those who have had first-hand experience, let’s use the knowledge and carry forward our different stories with the aim of having a healthy space as a component of human rights.

How critical is it to share our stories, and how do we get evidence, to support the flow of accurate information to enable proper framing by communities? Peter Moll: -people need to tell their stories to create change, even if at times it comes with backlash. Is to be vulnerable and share it as bare as it could even be. Regardless of the lack of support and the backlash one might receive, what matters is that is a voice. Don’t feel inadequate to share with the world. One must be motivated and passionate. The Ubuntu aspect, how can one be happy when others are not, kindness and empathy. Bring people together and the reason together. Evidence in every way offers support and shows the truth in the story. Veronica: - How dire the effects of climate change can’t be about other people to do but for us, when we think of the effects we will do something in our own capacities to change things. The time we are in we can’t leave it out and allow others to handle these issues. More has to be done by the media and everyone else. All of us, take the mantle because the issue of a healthy environment is an all of our duty. Veronica stated that everyone has a role to play and in the little spaces we all come from ensuring change happens. With the digital space, we can use it to change the narratives and perspectives. Those affected the most are speaking out. Olivia: - the UN Human Rights Council adopted a resolution recognizing that the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment is something worth celebrating, we aren’t there yet but the fact these laws are there is a win. Governments should put an effort into ensuring they are implemented and people in different spaces should act and ensure the policies are upheld. It is something communities all over the world know about. The importance of recognizing is that it creates avenues to continue having discussions around the same. Governments to start working and implementing the laws. Making peace with nature to reconnect and reform the environment. It may not be universal, we might not all be at the same level, but at the different levels every community is at, it should continue to push even for the smallest aspect, which could be food, shelter, and biodiversity. Defenders of the climate have a hard time; they are fought/opposed in all manners of ways but this should be a motivation to keep going.

QUESTIONS AND REACTIONS FROM THE AUDIENCE Hamida Malassen: -Founder Mazingira Women Initiative This is a lot in line with the cultural aspect, as we advocate for the environment. Under Mazingira Women Initiative, planting trees to cope with deforestation. The conversations are relevant. She works in Kibra. Susan: - Lawyer, with a keen interest in matters of Environment Biodiversity The SDG 2030, there is a food shortage in Kenya, this is a component of human rights. What recourse do we have? There is food scarcity. We need to take these issues very serious. The global emissions that are taking place. The implementation, monitoring, and evaluation is the challenge. Phoebe Matunda: - SUSO

How can we keep the government accountable and how can we do it together? Olivia, there is no one way to go about it is all of us in our different capacities must come together and handle matters environment. There must be continued pressure, with the aim of having the voices are well heard. It starts at grassroots level as we push going up. Moniq Masinzi: - Kenya Climate Change Working Group We are talking about climate change. How can we reduce carbon emissions? The matter on carbon prices. Peter Moll: - The emitters are paying to continue emitting, which isn’t such a dignified way to work. It allows them to continue emitting as you pay. For the government to be accountable one must understand the policies, get to the table and have a conversation with them, when you do it while in the streets it may come out as noise. Peter Moll, you talked about activists working with the government, as an activist you are a watchdog, like matters solid waste, how can one work with the government. Peter Moll, says he had to change his approach, making it more of understanding and sitting down with those involved and negotiating. You need a backup or what we can call a tool kit to help lobby for issues. We all need structured spaces to enable young people to share their thoughts in a well-structured way. One that must be inclusive, it isn’t a matter of going so hard, but looking for strategies that will create a holistic movement. We are fighting for the same goal and for young people to listen to they shouldn’t always seem to be fighting those in different positions and one-way young people can do this, is by ensuring they are strategic and have a good structure to be followed and communication channels that seem appropriate. Veronica: We can all do something in our homes and act as contributors to the large course. We all have a role. Look at the community and see who you can work with at the level. People must check on they dispose of waste.

Take away for Panelist, why should anyone take care of nature Nature is us, we should guard it and be environment defenders. Nature is the future and it is the responsibility of every individual to play a part. People must speak out and be action implementers, be the trailblazers. Recognizing the right to a healthy environment allows the right to provide a reference point and serve as a basis for a more ambitious development of environmental rights in the future. Constitutional and human rights law of nations. A rights-based approach can help ensure better opportunities for public participation, access to information, access to justice and accountability of the government and other actors. It would help those being affected by environmental problems in their solutions. Taking a rights-based approach to environment action provides governments with the authority to act and the people with the ability to seek justice.

Spotlight existing environmental injustices in the community Magarine (Mombasa), Salt Company don’t have the right clothing for salt harvesting Mangrove plants are dying off The Lake Victoria water hyacinth menaces. Blocked sewage Athi River, the company is draining waste into the slums Water pollution, Nairobi river, the residents depend on that water for livelihood. Bursting of oil pipelines Bursting of Solai Dam Recreation places are taken away from children and lack a space to exercise their right to play. Drought and famine Noise pollution Rongai lacks a proper waste disposal points Kariobangi corroded mabatis. Humans live where wild animals were. Animals spoil farm crops and pose as a danger to the people around. In places that had tobacco farming, the land can’t be used for a while, the land was to regain fertility. Connecting Climate change negotiations to human rights within vulnerable continents We can all do it, plant trees, have the 10% tree planting and the water catchment areas and we will have a good environment. There will be enough rain and enough food supply. Developed states are to help less developed states by funding them In Africa only 2% of emissions yet they do suffer the most, they are the actual victims, finding solutions to prevent emissions and need for an international environment court. First-world countries dump their factor rejects in the name of low price products Some of the ways we can negotiate: - Adopting the bottom-up approach, starting off from the community/grassroots. Creating meaningful participants for young people, in Africa and beyond Acknowledge indigenous content. Humans and wildlife co-exist, in Tsavo in the past, people would live peacefully without intruding the wildlife habitats. Advocate, and educate about the protection of human rights.

What should those continents be talking about? Technology, Inclusivity, Governance, Funding We have a responsibility to demand on what we will take up and if matters compensation will be in those conversations then the African continent should have a say since they aren’t emitors.

Gender and climate change as a human right It was noted that with the challenges around climate change women are affected more. This doesn’t mean men don’t get to be affected, all humans of either gender will be affected by issues around climate change. Land Rights, women in most areas declined the right to own land hence depriving them of this. Women get to be affected more. Some cultures dictate what women should wear and with climate change some areas are extremely hot and still, women have to put on heaps of clothes to cover their bodies, regardless of how hot the area is. Women are unable to comfortably even wear sanitary towels. Address issues of gender inequality and advocate for gender issues. Accessibility to a clean and healthy environment. Climate change, affects the quality of life and even the destruction of life, it is no longer about any gender but human life as a whole.