We do not give up on our beautiful planet. Women demand ‘system change not climate change’ at global negotiations in Paris.

WEDO at Cop21

The Twenty-First Conference of Parties (COP21) to the UNFCCCC (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change) begins on Monday, November 30th, in Paris, France lasting through Friday, December 11th.

As COP21 is the last sessions to work towards a just and ambitious agreement, WEDO and its allies will work first and foremost to push countries to work towards a fair, equitable and legally binding agreement, with sufficient quantified GHG emission reductions, that reflects the urgency and level of commitments needed, as highlighted in the recent report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

WEDO will also work to ensure that gender equality and human rights, including women’s human rights, are central to the new climate agreement, and all climate policies and actions.

EXCITING PROGRAMS

MOBILIZING WOMEN FOR CLIMATE JUSTICE

There are several initiatives taking place at COP which fall under this program:

The Women’s Global Call for Climate Justice Campaign

The Women’s Global Call for Climate Justice Campaign is a de-centralized global campaign for gender-just climate action in preparation for COP21. The campaign calls on all women and girls from around the world to stand up for climate justice. Thousands of individuals and organizations have joined the call and pledged actions based on the campaign’s six themes: energy, economy, solutions, survival, power and climate justice.

Women Climate Justice Advocates Program

The Women Climate Justice Advocates Program supports the participation of women advocates across 8 regions, particularly from frontline communities to consult with women’s groups regionally and bring forth their work to influence the UNFCCC climate change negotiations. Check out some of these advocates below!

Partnerships for Gender-Just Actions

The Partnerships for Gender-Just Actions focus on developing tools for effective implementation of gender-just actions in order to influence international policy on climate change through broad stakeholder preparation such as capacity building, advocacy, and technical support.

WOMEN DELEGATES FUND

First and foremost, the WDF works to address a gap in women’s participation, particularly focusing support toward Least Developed Countries (LDCs) that have already limited capacity and resources to attend and effectively participate in the climate negotiations.

EMPOWER WOMEN, BENEFIT ALL

For the fourth year, WEDO is working closely with Women in Europe for a Common Future (WECF) on ‘Empower Women, Benefit All’ (EWA), a joint initiative to support a team of women’s rights and environmental activists.

WOMEN’S MAJOR GROUP (WMG)

The Women’s Major Group (WMG) for Sustainable Development will be active at COP21 –  with a number of members taking part over the two weeks of the COP.

FOR MEDIA INQUIRIES, PLEASE CONTACT:

Celia Alario, celiaalario@gmail.com
+1 310 721 6517

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+1 310 562 8680

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KEY EVENTS

DAILY: WGC Pavilion

From 30 November to 11 December, the Women and Gender Constituency will host a ‘Women’s Pavilion and Gender-Just Solutions Exhibition’ in the Climate Generations Area of COP21 in Le Bourget, Paris.

The space will aims to:

  • Highlight a ‘gender-just’ climate solutions agenda; highlighting decentralized, locally owned, safe and sustainable climate solutions which work for women and promote equality;
  • Build capacity of a mainstream audience on the social and gender dimensions of climate change, providing a host of tools and information;
  • Strengthen the network of individuals/ organizations and alliances interested in understanding climate change through a gender lens by showcasing and connecting to the organizations already working on it;

It will be divided into ‘4 Corners’:

  • THE SOLUTIONS CORNER: Solutions displayed as models and with explanatory posters. All solutions get our WGC “stamp” with “gender-just climate proof” solution – or “safe, appropriate and socially, economically and environmentally sound solution”.
  • THE COMBINED LOUNGE / ART DISPLAY AND SPEAKERS CORNER: This will be a relaxed environment with some couches/nice to sit on chairs, to have a comfortable seat, a video screen, a publication holder and a microphone. There will be a board with the schedule for the programme of the lounge corner, changing between personal and video presentations. People have the possibility to listen to the presentations, watch different videos on a screen or to have a look at the displayed publications. Space for displaying photography or other arts e.g. highlighting art from the women’s global campaign for climate justice. See full programme of ‘lounge events’ here.
  • THE CAMPAIGN CORNER: This corner will be run by ‘The Women’s Global Call for Climate Justice’ and it will be a dedicated space for showcasing actions being undertaken by the campaign- linking to national level actions happening during the Paris COP21 conference and providing a ‘direct action’ space for people to get engaged on the spot and be connected to actions around the world.
  • THE POLICY CORNER – INFORMATION DESK: The visitor will get the condensed information here. The area will be marked with an information desk, staffed with one experienced person as contact person for the exhibition area.

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DAILY: Women's Caucus

The WGC will host an OPEN Women’s Caucus daily from 9am -10am during the COP21 negotiations in Observer Room 9.

In addition there will be three thematic days for the Caucus:
• Wednesday, 2 December: Young Feminist Day
• Friday, 4 December: Trade Unions/Labor Day
• Monday, 7 December: Indigenous Women’s Day

30 Nov: PRESS CONFERENCE; 15:30-16:00

PRESS CONFERENCE: “Women’s Red Flags for the Climate Talks” – showcasing some of women’s key demands 15:30 – 16:00

30 Nov: Women at the frontlines of climate change;16:45 -18:15

Women at the frontline of climate change take action for system change

16:45 -18:15

Observer Room 4

There’s no sign that the Paris outcome will deliver systems change needed to resolve the interlocking crises of climate and inequality. Civil society is using their collective power to shape a sustainable future, and explore options for addressing gender dimensions at local & national level.  Speakers: Kate Lappin (APWLD), Tetet Lauron (Ibon International), Gotelind Alber (GenderCC), Ulrike Roehr (LIFE e.V.), Women and Gender Constituency, representatives from Constituencies, the UNFCCC Secretariat and Member States.

1 Dec: Lutte contre le dérèglement climatique; 17:00 -18:00

« Lutte contre le dérèglement climatique : les femmes en première ligne » 17:00 -18:00

Salle Lamartine (1er sous-sol, 101 rue de l’Université, 75 007 Paris)

Dans le cadre de la Cop 21, la Délégation aux droits des femmes et à l’égalité des chances entre les hommes et les femmes de l’Assemblée nationale vous convie à un colloque sur la « Lutte contre le dérèglement climatique : les femmes en première ligne ». Speakers: Eleanor Blomstrom, WEDO; Usha Nair, WGC.

2 Dec: “Gender at the Heart of Climate Action”; 13:30 – 14:45

The Netherlands Climate Pavilion (Climate Generations Area)

Create momentum in the last days of negotiations for the full integration of gender aspects in the new agreement. Sharing suggestions on how to safeguard gender responsive climate action after the summit in Paris. Guest speakers: Minister Liliane Ploumen, Minister of Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation of the Netherlands,  and Mrs. Mary Robinson, president Mary Robinson Foundation – Climate Justice and Special Envoy for Climate Change of the United Nations Secretary General. Interactive discussion speakers and participants, with input pitches from: Mrs. Stella Gama, delegation of Malawi on experiences from Africa, Ms. Bridget Burns WEDO, and Mrs. Preeti Srivastav  (WeMeanBusiness Coalition)  on contribution private sector.

6 Dec: Gender Pavilion @ Global Landscapes Forum; All Day

Four sessions on gender-responsive climate change adaptation and mitigation; with opportunity for Q&A and contributions from attendees.

  • 11.00 – 11.45 Indigenous Women on the Front Lines of Climate Change (Convening organizations: Global Greengrants Fund, Rainforest Foundation Norway, Climate Wise Women)
  • 13.00 – 13.45 Part 1: Transforming Climate Change Mitigation – Sharing lessons and best practices from gender integration (Convening organizations: CIFOR, Rainforest Foundation Norway, UN Women)
  • 14.50 – 15.35 Part 2: Transforming Climate Change Adaptation – Sharing lessons and best practices from gender integration (Convening organizations: CCAFS, CARE International, GGCA & IUCN)
  • 16.40 – 17.25 The Big Picture – Linking lessons learned to global climate policy (Convening organization: WEDO)

See flyer here.

8 Dec: Gender Just Climate Solutions; 11:30am - 1:00pm

Gender Just Climate Solutions

11:30am – 1:00pm

Observer Room 1

Women and men from around the world present their good practices as well as their roles in sustainable local economies and climate solutions. The event will highlight a few key ‘gender-just’ solutions, giving practical technical examples of projects for climate mitigation or adaptation that take into account gender equality and sustainable development. In addition, the event will launch a new ‘Gender-Just Solutions’ publication, highlighting over 30 technical, non-technical and transformative solutions for climate action. Finally, speakers will discuss the principles and corresponding policies needed to ensure that solutions advance rights, equality and environmental integrity– and crucially, how this must be reflected in the new climate agreement through gender-responsive means of implementation: safe, appropriate and socially sound technologies, alongside gender-responsive capacity building and finance. Organized: WEDO, WECF, WEP

8 Dec: WGC: Policy & Action for a Just World; 13:30 -16:30

Women & Gender Constituency: Policy & Action for a Just World

13:30 – 16:30

Climate Generations Area- Salle 4

3-hour interactive event to showcase the linkages between gender and climate change; to highlight a narrative for system change; and to hear from women’s rights activists from around the world highlighting their solutions, movement building and activism. Speakers include: Ulrike Roehr, Kate Lappin, Titi Sorentoro, Sabine Bock, Ursula Rokova, Flavia Cherry, Alina Saba, Tess Vistro Reem, Gotelind Alber.

8 Dec: PRESS CONFERENCE; 18:00 - 18:30

PRESS CONFERENCE: “Gender Just Day: Solutions and Action”, launching Gender Day and highlighting key solutions being showcased 18:00 – 18:30

9 Dec: Rio Conventions Pavilion Gender Day

A Look Ahead to Achieving Agenda 2030 – Advancing Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment in the Face of Environmental Change

  • 11:00 – 12:30 – Filling in the Blanks: Building the Evidence-base on Gender and Environmental Sustainability (Speakers: UNEP, IUCN, CIFOR);
  • 13:15 – 14:35 – Focusing on Results: Bringing Forward Policy Actions and Sharing Experiences from the Field on Gender and Land Rights (Speakers: UNCCD, Fondo Mujeres del Sur, Fondo Acción Urgente)
  • 14:45 – 16:05 – Addressing Climate Adaptation and Disaster Risk Reduction through a Gender Lens, Perspec- tives from the Field (Speakers: CBD, CIFOR, Action Aid Bangladesh, All India Women’s Conference, NAACP, Huairou Commission)
  • 16:15 – 17:35 – Exploring Synergies in the Rio Conventions to Support Achievement of the SDGs Panelists: UNFCCC, UNCCD, CBD, WEDO, GEF, GCF, UNDP, UN Women
More information

A comprehensive mapping of all events by women’s rights advocates or regarding gender and climate change can be viewed here.

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Women and girls around the world are demanding and creating systemic change and a sustainable future for all. We need collective power to attain a just future – we need you.