Gender Day at COP 22 / CMP 12 /CMA 1

While the impacts of climate change are often experienced differently by men and women, with women disproportionately affected due to differing gender roles and existing gender inequalities, Gender Day at COP 22 / CMP 12 / CMA 1 focusses on women as leaders, innovators, and agents of the transformational change that the challenge of climate change and achieving sustainable development demands.

The Gender Climate Tracker App provides experts,
decision-makers, negotiators and advocates on-the-go
access to the latest information on research,
decisions and actions related to gender and
climate change.

Tools to Translate, Track and Transform: A dialogue on the transformative implementation of gender-responsive climate solutions

This event explores how tools and methods can support governments as they implement their NDCs, NAPs and other climate policies to ensure that 'no one is left behind' in the transition to a low emission, low-carbon, climate resilient future and more inclusive societies and economies.

Verania Chao, Policy Specialist
and
Stephanie Kwan, Accredited Entities Specialist

Master Class on Access to Climate Finance - Applying a Gender Lens

This two and half hour event at COP22/CMP12/CMA1 examined how different sources of financing can be accessed to implement transformative climate mitigation and adaptation actions and policies. By applying a gender lens and looking at lessons learned, the Master Class identified the key skills, steps and tools needed to successfully access different sources of climate finance.

Women for Results
Momentum for Change
Speakers

Women for Results Momentum for Change

This special event showed how women are leading the way on climate action worldwide. The event was divided into two segments. The first was a high - level panel discussion that explored how gender equality and the empowerment of women is critical when addressing climate change and implementing the Sustainable Development Goals. The second segment demonstrated on - the - ground examples of climate solutions that are led by, and empower, women by the 2016 winners of the Momentum for Change Women for Results focus area.

International women's meeting in Nairobi 1985
Photo: IISD Reporting Services

Global Gender Climate Alliance (GGCA) Innovation Forum

The second day of the GGCA Innovation Forum began with a morning plenary session, which addressed “From Words to Action: Is it possible?” This was followed by a “Lightning Talks: Gender at the Cutting Edge” that built on the “Skills-Share” workshops from the previous day’s Forum, during which participants received brief presentations on a number of topics, followed by group discussion.

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Rural Community Leaders
Combating Climate Change - India

Swayam Shikshan Prayog, an Indian NGO, trains
rural women in entrepreneurship and builds
their capacities for marketing clean-energy
products in their communities

Winners of 2016 UNFCCC Momentum for Change Award Announced

Winning activities include:

• A Google-led project that could catalyse the rooftop solar market for millions of people across the United States

• An ingenious net that harvests fog from the air to provide drinking water for people on the edge of Morocco’s Sahara Desert

• North America’s first revenue-neutral tax that puts a price on carbon pollution

• A project that has established the first women-specific standard to measure and monetize women’s empowerment benefits of climate action

Integrating gender into the LDC Group climate change

agenda was the theme of a session held at the
Bonn Climate Change Conference held in May 2016
in Bonn, Germany.
Photo: UNDP

Integrating gender into the LDC Group climate change agenda

This event was supported by the LDCF funded project 'Building capacity of LDCs to participate effectively in intergovernmental climate change processes', implemented jointly by UNDP and UNEP. The session was chaired by Tosi Mpanu Mpanu, Chair of the LDC Group. He noted that the session was building on the agreements at previous COPs in Lima and Paris, saying “We are seeking to improve participation of women in all bodies under the convention, to reach a common understanding of action on gender and on climate change."

In-session workshop
Bonn, Germany, 18-19 May 2016
Photo: IISD Reporting Services

In-session workshop on gender-responsive climate policy with a focus on adaptation, capacity building and training for delegates on gender issues

The integration of gender considerations throughout climate change related actions is crucial for the long-term sustainability and effectiveness of such actions for both developing and developed countries. That is why the UN climate change secretariat was mandated to organize a workshop on gender-responsive climate policy with a focus on adaptation and capacity-building and training.

Photo: CIAT / Flickr

Case Studies Show Power of Gender Equality Climate Response

Ambassador Laurence Tubiana, France’s newly-appointed international climate champion, reminded the UN climate change conference in Bonn this week during her opening speech of the important role gender plays. “Parity and gender equality are essential for the efficiency of all actions to fight against climate change. This is why gender equality is quoted in the preamble of the Paris Agreement,” she said.

WDF Night School participants

The WDF Night School

From May 13 to May 14, WEDO hosted a pre-sessional ‘Night School’ for over 30 newer delegates. The two-night series focused on drafting text for interventions, with the aim of strengthening the participants’ capacity to effectively participate in the negotiations.

Christiana Figueres, Executive Secretary, UNFCCC
Three Concerns on Gender Parity

Message on International Women's Day

I share with you that I learned many lessons from our process of building toward COP21, and among them one fundamental lesson that is applicable here: there is no centralized solution. It takes an effort on the part of literally every one of us to face these global challenges. None of us can individually transform the three painful situations I have enumerated. But at minimum each one of us has the responsibility to ensure that none of them occur within the sphere of our personal influence.

Women farmers gathering during morning milk
collection session in Bangladesh
IFPRI. Photo: Flickr

Climate Action Requires Gender Action

Gender equality and women’s empowerment is now a more obvious part of the intergovernmental negotiations under the Convention, with recent dedicated decisions such as 23/CP.18 (the Doha miracle) and 18/CP.20 (the Lima work programme on gender). Significantly, the Paris Agreement also includes language in its preamble on gender equality (and other human rights) – a first for Multilateral Environmental Agreements. Therefore we can expect that work in this area will continue to grow and will find new ways to bring women where they should be: at the forefront of the fight against climate change.

In-session workshop
Bonn, Germany, 8-9 June 2015

In-session workshop on gender-responsive climate policy with a focus on mitigation action and technology development and transfer

Discussions were focused on issues related to the gender aspects of UNFCCC processes and mechanisms related to mitigation and technology, gender terms and definitions, examples of gender-responsive actions and policies, case study examples of mainstreaming gender in different mitigation and technology actions, and the opportunities and challenges associated with developing and implementing gender-responsive mitigation and technology policies at the national level.

Photo: WICF / WECF

Women and Gender Constituency wants women’s voices included at UNFCCC

Over the past several years of the international climate change negotiations it has been established and agreed by governments across the world, who are Parties to the UNFCCC, that gender equality and ensuring women’s human rights are necessary to effectively act on climate change mitigation and adaptation. The UN’s efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions will only succeed through the promotion of rights and justice and the full participation of women.

"Let us devote solid funding, courageous advocacy and unbending political will to achieving gender equality around the world. There is no greater investment in our common future." 

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon

Global Women & Indigenous Peoples on the
Frontline of Climate Solutions:
Forests & Renewable Energy COP21 Side Event

Photo: WECAN

WECAN in action during United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)

Since the organizations founding, WECAN International has been participating both within and outside of the UNFCCC climate conferences to advocate for climate justice, gender equality, Indigenous rights, rights of nature and meaningful, bold action on climate change.

Explore this page for selected highlights from the Women’s Earth and Climate Action Network’s recent work at the UNFCCC.

Women leading climate action

Women Leading Climate Action Momentum for Change

The UNFCCC’s Momentum for Change initiative shines a light on women around the world who are making change happen in their communities, cities and countries.

If you have an inspiring example of women’s leadership on climate action be sure to send it to http://momentum.unfccc.int

Christiana Figueres is the UN’s lead
climate negotiator. Photo: Flickr/UNFCCC

UN climate chief Christiana Figueres says a climate deal must create an equal economy for men and women

One key aim of the UNFCCC is to combat climate change and its impacts on humanity and ecosystems. It is increasingly evident that empowering women will be a significant factor in meeting the climate challenge and achieving the long-term objectives of the Convention.

Members of the Troika+ on
Gender and Climate Change at COP17:
Maite Nkoana-Mashabane, COP17/CMP7

President and Minister of International Relations
and Co-operation, South Africa;
Christiana Figueres, Executive Secretary
of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change;
and Patricia Espinosa, COP16/CMP6 President
and Minister for Foreign Affairs,
Mexico. Durban, 2011.

Troika+ of Women Leaders on Gender and Climate Change

The Troika+ of Women Leaders on Gender and Climate Change is a network of women leaders and supportive men committed to working together on gender and climate change, consisting of more than 55 high profile women leaders including women Ministers, deputy Ministers and senior women leaders from various international organisations.

The decision to create a Troika+ of Women Leaders on Gender and Climate Change was a key outcome from a high-level event co-hosted by the Government of Mexico and the Mary Robinson Foundation – Climate Justice at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Conference of the Parties/ Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol (COP16/CMP6) in Cancun, Mexico in 2011.