Gender and Climate Change – Global Launch Event
COP 25 adopted the 5-year enhanced Lima work programme on gender and its gender action plan (decision 3/CP.25), which included a request to the secretariat to organize, with the contribution of the national gender and climate change focal points (NGCCFP), Parties and relevant organizations, two in-session workshops at SB 52 on the role of National Gender and Climate Change Focal Points and on gender integration in national climate policies, plans, strategies and actions.
Due to the global COVID-19 situation, an alternative plan has been prepared to ensure the delivery of the mandated workshops and the achievement of their expected deliverables.
The launch event will provide an overview of the Lima work programme on gender, set out the series of virtual events that are being organized as part of the UNFCCC Gender Action Plan and provide a first look at some lessons learned and opportunities for implementation as inspiration for the virtual event series.
COVER PHOTO CREDIT:
World Bank Photo Collection
Patricia Espinosa
Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)
Ambassador of Mexico to Germany since 2012 and from 2001 to 2002, Ms. Espinosa was Minister of Foreign Affairs of Mexico from 2006 to 2012, bringing more than 30 years of experience at highest levels in international relations, specialized in climate change, global governance, sustainable development, gender equality and protection of human rights.
As Mexico’s representative on multilateral bodies and international organizations in Vienna, Geneva and New York, Ms. Espinosa has been engaged as leader in the global challenge to address climate change and its consequences, notably as Chair of the 16th Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC leading to the adoption of the Cancun Agreements. Named by the UN Secretary-General to the High-Level Panel of Eminent Persons on the Post 2015 Development Agenda, she is a tireless supporter of multilateralism as a way to improve conditions for development in all regions of the world, understanding the inextricable link between the aims of the Paris Climate Agreement and the Sustainable Development Goals.
Elected Chair of the Third Committee of the UN General Assembly (1996) she played a key role in the process leading to the adoption of the Beijing Platform for Action at the 4th World Conference on Women. Previous Ambassador of Mexico to Austria, Slovakia, Slovenia and UN Organisations in Vienna (2002-2006), she was Chief of Staff to the Undersecretary of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (1989-1991) and responsible for economic issues at the Permanent Mission of Mexico to the UN in Geneva (1982-1988).
Born in 1958, she has postgraduate studies in International Law from the Institut Universitaire de Hautes Etudes Internationales in Geneva and is holder of a Degree in International Relations from El Colegio de Mexico. Fluent in English and German, she is confident in French with Spanish mother tongue.
Fleur Newman
Action Empowerment Unit Lead | Gender, Youth and ACE – UNFCCC Gender Focal Point and Focal Point for Women
Fleur Newman leads the intergovernmental work on gender and climate under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Paris Agreement. She is also the Gender Focal Point and Focal Point for Women for the UN Climate Change secretariat. Fleur is a lawyer by training who, before joining the UN, spent 10 years practicing law in the private sector in areas including climate change, sustainability, energy and international law. Throughout her career, Fleur has been an advocate for gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls. Fleur has a Bachelor of Science in Sustainable Development and Master of Laws in International Law.
Chu Thi Thanh Huong
Deputy Head, Science Technology and International Cooperation Division, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, Viet Nam
Michelle Winthrop
Director, Policy Unit, Irish-Aid
Michelle Winthrop is the Climate and Resilience Policy Lead within Irish Aid, the official Development Cooperation agency of the Irish Government. She is also a LEG member. Prior to joining Irish Aid, Michelle was Director of Programmes for Farm Africa, a British NGO working with on agriculture, forestry and market development in Africa. Michelle has also worked for many years before that as an adviser within the UK’s Department for International Development, in the UK, on secondment to the World Bank, and overseas. Michelle has worked and lived in Indonesia, Nicaragua, and for a long number of years in Ethiopia. Michelle has experience and expertise in climate change adaptation, smallholder agriculture, natural resource management, market-based approaches to development, gender and inclusion, and food security/vulnerability.
Vositha Wijenayake
Executive Director, SLYCAN Trust
Vositha Wijenayake is a lawyer and a human rights activist from Sri Lanka, who takes a keen interest in equity and the environment. She is also a journalist and a legal researcher. Vositha currently works as the Executive Coordinator of SLYCAN, having worked since 2009 on bridging youth and environmental activism.
Angie Dazé
Associate, International Institute for Sustainable Development and NAP Global Network
Angie Dazé is a Senior Policy Advisor and the Lead on Gender Equality for the Resilience team at the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD). She is also a member of the Secretariat of the National Adaptation Plan (NAP) Global Network. Angie’s work focuses on policy and practice related to climate change adaptation and resilience, with a focus on gender equality and social inclusion. She has provided technical support to a number of governments on adaptation planning, and has developed practical guidance and tools for vulnerability assessments and adaptation planning with a gender lens. Previously, Angie worked for CARE International and for the Canadian government.
Bridget Burns
Director, Women’s Environment & Development Organization
A feminist, environmental activist & Director of WEDO, Bridget specializes in policy advocacy, research and movement building at the intersection of gender equality, women’s rights and environment/climate justice. For several years, she has been particularly focused on integrating gender equality into the decisions and outcomes of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). In addition, Bridget serves as the co-Focal Point of the Women and Gender Constituency, which supports the political participation of women’s rights advocates into the climate process. Prior to WEDO, Bridget worked at LEAD International coordinating a global network of environmental leaders and conducting leadership training. She obtained a Masters from the London School of Economics in Gender, Development and Globalization, where the focus of her research was on eco-feminism, strategic essentialism and its deployment in literature and policy, as well as a Bachelors in International Policy. Through this work and study, Bridget has also spent time completing on site practicum on a wide variety of development issues in several countries: renewable energy infrastructure in Beijing, global health issues in Tunisia, disaster risk and resilience in Bangkok, and women’s economic development in Costa Rica. She has been and is currently engaged in a number of local and international climate activist groups, as well as a feminist writing collective.