Bonn, Germany-  June 6^th 2011

The second session of the 2011 UNFCCC negotiations commence today in Bonn, Germany.  Two months ago in Bangkok, countries negotiated for 5 days to set an agenda for the way forward in this process [see article on BKK meeting]. Though seemingly little progress was made; the question of the most effective way to move forward in the negotiations was and remains a fundamental one.

Having decided to work in parallel on both operationalizing the decisions made in Cancun and following the roadmap of the Bali Action Plan, the world now looks to Bonn to see if countries can come together in the spirit of ambition and compromise to ensure success in Durban. 

Some of the main issues still to be addressed include:

• Finding a way forward for the 2^nd commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol,
• Closing the gap between Annex 1 emission reduction pledges and action,
• Defining fair and transparent measures to account for emissions reductions,
• Developing methodologies for monitoring, reporting, and verification (MRVs),
• Operationalizing the Adaption Framework, the Green Climate Fund, the Technology Mechanism, and REDD+.

WEDO at Bonn

In Bonn, WEDO will be monitoring all aspects of the negotiations with the support of our international advocacy team. The advocacy team is comprised of gender advocates from all over the world; this year advocates are from Costa Rica, France, Ghana, Mexico, Nepal, Senegal, Togo and the U.S. The team strives to advance progress on the women and gender references secured [see article on outcomes at COP16]  in Cancun in the LCA as well as SBI and SBSTA. Specific focus will be given to mainstreaming gender in the operationalization of the adaptation committee; monitoring the developments of the Green Climate Fund and delivering capacity on gender and climate finance issues; as well as following the progress on REDD+ to ensure women’s rights and gender considerations are an integral part of the mechanism.

WEDO is also coordinating the Women Delegates Fund (WDF), a program funded by the Government of Finland, which supports women from least developed and developing countries to attend the negotiations as part of their national delegations. In Bonn, the WDF is supporting 10 women from around the world and delivering a program of capacity building over the course of the two week meeting. On Tuesday, June 14^th, WEDO will host an evening networking reception entitled “Honoring Women’s Leadership at the UNFCCC” to highlight the achievements of the WDF and its participants. For more information, please contact [email protected]

Side Event

Women and Climate Finance: Past Experiences Inspiring Future Funds
Monday, 13 June 2011 — 20:00—21:30
TRAM (MoT) Women’s Environment and Development Organization (WEDO)
Lessons learned through mainstreaming gender in development funds serve as a foundation for integrating gender equality and women’s empowerment into climate finance mechanisms. Participants: Government of Finland, Global Gender and Climate Alliance (GGCA), IUCN, MRFCJ, Oxfam, UNDP, UNEP and WEDO. 

To view other side events on gender and climate change, click here.

Key Links
UNFCCC Live webcasts and virtual participation — http://unfccc.int/virtual_participation/items/5984.php
IISD Earth Negotiations Bulletin (daily coverage of meetings)- http://www.iisd.ca/climate/sb34/

WEDO Experts in Bonn
Cate Owren, Executive Director, [email protected]  
Bridget Burns, Women Delegates Fund Coordinator, [email protected]
Sandra Freitas, Climate Policy Specialist, [email protected]
Rachel Harris, Advocacy Coordinator, [email protected]
Andrea Quesada, Advocacy Team, Forestry Issues, [email protected]

Follow updates on the negotiations and our activities @wedo_worldwide! Hashtags in Bonn:  #UNFCCC, #genderclimate, Global Gender and Climate Alliance #GGCA, Women Delegates Fund #WDF

For media, please contact: Bridget Burns, [email protected]