Learning by Doing

This Night School session focused on a hands-on simulation centered on the Just Transition mechanism — a key agenda item at these talks. During this realistic negotiation exercise, participants coordinated on draft text, identified their own priorities and positions, and worked in real time to align with like-minded negotiating groups.

The simulation mirrored the complexity of actual multilateral negotiations, where multiple conversations happen simultaneously and every word in the text matters. Participants entered the simulated plenary sessions as advocates with a clear voice.

For many delegates, Night School is a transformative entry point into the UNFCCC process. One first-time participant shared:

This echoes what so many WDF delegates have expressed over the years. As one past Night School participant put it: "In the three years I have been coming to these negotiations, I have never once raised my flag to speak. The training really helped to bolster my confidence. In Bonn, I have raised my flag three times on behalf of my country."

Why Night School Matters

Women's equal participation in climate decision-making is fundamental to policies that reflect the realities of communities most affected by climate change. Yet women — particularly from Least Developed Countries and the Global South — remain underrepresented in national delegations and face persistent structural barriers to participation. At COP28, women made up just 34 percent of delegates, compared to 31 percent in 2008 — a reminder of how much further there is to go.

These delegates often enter these processes without the institutional support or informal networks that more resourced delegations take for granted. WEDO's Night School bridges that gap by offering technical knowledge, negotiation practice, and a community of peers committed to gender-just climate outcomes.

Impact Beyond the Negotiating Room

The ripple effects of the WDF extend far beyond the conference halls. Since 2012, WEDO has trained more than 500 women through Night School sessions and, since 2017, has hosted and co-hosted regional workshops in the Pacific, Asia, the Caribbean, and Francophone Africa, strengthening long-term regional leadership and collaboration.

Delegates return home not just with negotiating skills, but with a mandate to lead. As one WDF delegate from Bangladesh noted:

SB64's Night School adds to that progress — 27 more women entering the process better prepared, better connected, and ready to make their voices heard. Each delegate who walks out of Night School better equipped is one more voice for women's rights and climate justice amplified in the halls of the UNFCCC.