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Third WeCaN enrichment session equips members with insights to advocate at UNFCCC CoP27

WeCaN members completed their third virtual enrichment session on "Gender justice at the centre of the UNFCCC CoP27. Advocacy opportunities for youth and women led organizations” in the series "Women leadership and advocacy actions in climate change negotiations” designed to boost women’s leadership and advocacy at high-level climate change dialogues. 

The session focused specifically on advocacy opportunities at the upcoming United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Conference of the Parties (COP27), that will be held in Egypt in November. Women are underrepresented at high-level negotiations, with women making up just 38 percent of all representatives in 2021. The aim of WeCaN’s training and enrichment sessions is to challenge this and enable women and women-led civil society organisations to make their voices heard at global UN fora. 

Ewald Rametsteiner, deputy director of FAO’s Forestry Division, called for more action in strengthening women’s full, equal and meaningful participation in the UNFCCC process and in forest governance processes. However, “particular attention is being directed towards women and rural and indigenous populations, who are often underrepresented in the decision-making processes” voiced Mr Rametsteiner. “This focus is prominent in the State of the World’s Forests; as it was at the World Forestry Congress; and at the UNFCCC CoP26.”

Fleur Newman, UNFCCC’s Gender, youth and ACE unit lead, provided detailed insights into the five priorities under the gender action plan that aim to address key challenges. Gender balance, women’s participation and leadership is one such priority: “there is definitely a need to continue to have a focus in this area because there has been some, but too little progress in 20 years” stated Fleur and “another priority area is coherence across the UNFCCC process, including climate finance and technology development and transfer. It also means identify synergies and opportunities for collaborations across the UN system such as contributing to today’s event.”  

Angela Ebeleke, National Co- Gender and Climate Change Focal Point of the Democratic Republic of Congo, shared with WeCaN members her achievements and remaining challenges of negotiating at UNFCCC CoPs, highlighting the importance of developed countries fulfilling their financial promises to speed up the concrete implementation of adaptation plans. She encouraged practical collective actions by women- led organizations and civil society together with governments and public institutions. Angela stated that “more chances to design and implement gender responsive climate actions can be gained by creating taskforces around the different NDC sectors and involving civil society, private sector, gender focal points for each ministry and vulnerable groups representative to the NDC consultations and implementation phases”.

"It is always a wise and proper investment to enhance the ability of women to participate in the decision-making process on climate change on the national and international level" acknowledged Ineza Umuhoza Grace, Founder of Green Fighter and co-founder of Loss and Damage Youth Coalition Rwanda.  “Loss and Damage is a current climate injustice, women and youth are the most exposed especially in the global south. Women need to have access to the finance to address the negative impacts of climate change and be empowered to be more climate resilient"

Speakers and participants during the open discussion called for collective action to strengthen women’s and youth’s skills in leadership negotiation to enable gender transformative climate policies.

The WeCaN focal point from Palestine, Abeer Qtairy shared a challenge about finance accessibility as women have little access to financial services beside their limited ownership of land and other resources. Indeed, adequate gender responsive climate finance needs to be facilitated in mitigation and adaptation plans. 

The webinar was wrapped up by Hala Yousry, Professor of Rural Sociology, Head of Rural Women committee at the National Council for Women who provided some take-away messages and guidance to the WeCaN members to consider in their upcoming advocacy roadmap toward CoP27. She emphasized the importance of political will in climate negotiations for if there is no such will, pledges will be made without ever being met.

The session was a big success with upwards of eighty participants who chimed in with insights such as “the need for women voices to be heard is considered critical for nation building” (Joann Ofori, PADO, Ghana)and “so much to take home and do better advocacy to increase women numbers in climate change decision-making" (Hajia Alima Sagito Saeed, Savanna Women Farmers Association -GhaFFaP- Ghana). This session was conducted in English with French interpretation which allowed for a great reach and diversity of participants.  

UNFCCC & WeCaN

Whilst at previous CoPs, the UNFCCC has highlighted the crucial nexus between women’s leadership in climate change policymaking and the effective responsiveness of climate change action plans, gender-based responses to the climate change crisis need to be strengthened at the global level with more ambitious policies and resources.  Through a series of training sessions, the WeCaN Community of Practice for women in dryland forests and agrosilvopastoral systems, alongside the South-South and Triangular Cooperation Division of FAO, is equipping its members with the skills and knowledge to co-design a common advocacy roadmap.