Over the course of almost four decades, the concept of a “just transition” has undergone a transformative journey. Rooted in the protection of workers’ rights, it has evolved into a broader movement advocating for systemic change.

WEDO recognizes the need to stand in solidarity with workers worldwide, in line with just transition’s original purpose of safeguarding workers’ rights, as well as to advocate for a vision of a gender just transition grounded in structural transformation. This call for a structural change is deeply rooted in feminist ideology and principles.

Without guidance from feminist principles, the long-fought just transition may perpetuate the same systems of oppression, exploitation, and extraction of both people and the planet.

This brief aims to:

1. enhance understanding of what a “gender just transition” means at a global and macroeconomic level;
2. contextualize a just transition beyond the narrow framework of energy alone, while recognizing this as an essential element;
3. posit the need for contextualized solutions across communities, countries, regions and sectors—noting that while guiding principles to a gender just transition exist, this work needs to be built from the margins to ensure it is truly just;
4. offer a framework for review when considering a gender just transition at a national level; and
5. uplift key demands on how to best integrate gender equality into the technical advocacy work at COP28.

We offer this document as guidance to policymakers engaged in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and government officials at the national level responsible for designing and implementing just transition policies and programs. Additionally, we aim for this brief to support individuals across civil societies, trade unions, partners, and allies from around the world who directly or indirectly engage in or influence decisions and the implementation of just transition policies and programs.

Download the report.