THE ROLE OF NON STATE ACTORS IN ENVIRONMENTAL DIPLOMACY IN AFRICA; THE CASE STUDY OF WANGARI MAATHAI AND THE GREEN BELT MOVEMENT IN KENYA

Abstract

Environmental diplomacy is the process of enabling and encouraging environmental cooperation between two or more parties. It helps to promote peace through conflict resolution by supporting to prevent conflict before it escalates and turns into violence. This is done by both the state and non-state actors. Non state actors compliment the actions of the state. This research project aims at; 1) analyzing the role of non-state actors in environmental diplomacy, 2) examining the influence of the Green Belt Movement as a non-state actor in environmental diplomacy in Africa, 3) examining the strategies and techniques used by the Green Belt Movement in promoting environmental diplomacy and 4) examining the role Wangari Maathai played as an actor that employed environmental diplomacy to promote environmental conservation and human development. The research is based on the Ecofeminism theory, which basically links women to the ecology. The research shows the linkage on the role played by women in the environmental conservation as well as their involvement in the climate change debate in Africa. The recommendation is that more women should be empowered and provided with more resources in order to be engage in conservation related activities and thus solve conflicts that arise from them.