Climate Coalition 21 (COP 21) International Meeting on 13 June 2015
Summary of the Gender and Climate Workshop
Chaired by Monique Dental (Feminist network “Ruptures”)
Gender and Climate Change Group (France) Point Person to the Coalition
The workshop was made up of 20 persons, including 3 men, from the following countries: Brazil,
South Korea, Spain, the United States, France, India, and Venezuela.
We began by having each person at the table present one by one their organisation and the situation in
their country, the initiatives that already exist, those that should take place and actions to be promoted.
Next, Monique Dental (France) provided information about the work of the Gender and Climate
Change Group, which unites several French feminist associations, and has led to a petition and several
proposals. The latest version on 12 April 2015 (which is in French and should be translated into
several languages) will be given to workshop participants for their signature and any supplementation.
Contact: Yveline Nicolas from Association Adéquations, who is coordinating the group, email:
ynicolas@adequations.org
After going around the table, it became clear that few actions have taken place or are being planned at
this stage. Nevertheless, those of note are:
In France :
The Gender and Climate Change group has been involved for several months now in furthering the
work done by feminist group Gender and Sustainable Development preparing for the Rio+20
Conference (Earth Summit in 2012) and then the post SDO-2015. The group meets regularly to
organise their own mobilisations within feminist movements and during the Climate Coalition
mobilisation and at COP 21.
They will be present at the September Alternatiba weekend (the Group will have stands and take part
in workshops). They will organise a meeting of Feminist Movement associations on 7 November in
Paris. Until then, they’ll have various initiatives involving outreach, training and distributing the
written petition to increase awareness of it and to continue gathering signatures. In the same spirit, the
French Coordination for the European Women’s Lobby is organising an outreach-training morning on
Saturday 20 June 2015.
Françoise Kiéfé for the World Women’s March made reference to the food sovereignty and climate
justice group’s action at the World Women’s March-France at the 5th World March, and insisted upon
the need to unite the themes of ecology and feminism. She intervened on the subject last weekend at
the Agora Féministe tribunal at the World Women’s March held in Nantes.
The UNESCO Women’s NGOs have planned a climate initiative for the week of 7-10 July.
An issue of Revue Passerelles about climate, published by the RITIMO Association, should appear
next September-October.
In the USA: The Women’s Earth and Climate Action Network International (WECAN) has drafted a
Women’s Climate Declaration and is collecting signatures worldwide to be delivered at COP21. This
signature campaign is being amplified on September 29th with a Global Women’s Climate Justice
Mobilization day of action for decentralized actions worldwide. See this link to participate
http://wecaninternational.org/global-womens-climate-justice-mobilization. WECAN is also organizing
an event from 1:00 to 6:00pm on 7 December in Paris , “Women Leading Solutions on the Frontlines
of Climate Change”. They’re asking that we relay their initiative, as well as get French women
involved. Themes to be discussed will be the impact on women’s lives, resistances and suggested
solutions. Please contact Osprey Orielle Lake for more information: oolake@jps.net
There is also another women’s campaign under way: “6 months 6 actions 6 teams” which will include
12 or 13 feminist networks.
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It is noted that there are few feminists working on Ecology issues.
In California, actions are planned to mobilise university women. They emphasise that a link be made
between gender equality and climate justice. They have drafted a press release: “For a Just
Political Transition.” (see Monique Dental for distribution).
In South Korea: An action will take place on 25 August on seed protection for small farmers.
Female small farmers’ situation
The effect of climate policies in agricultural zones, landgrabbing by multinationals forcing small
farmers to take drastic measures, raised issues that came up several times, such as that of the low
incidence of women in these analyses, which was brought up by the Confédération Paysanne (Small
Farmers Confederation) who did not plan to organise their own action for COP 21.
The Brazilian IRIADI Movement composed of women anti-capitalist small farmers de femmes
paysannes, pointed to the consequences of the agricultural model on the lives of women small farmers,
withVia Campesina International adding to this approach by posing the question: How do we resist
against this agricultural model?
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Strategies to drive and construct women’s and feminist associations’ mobilisations:
The workshop unanimously decided to emphasise the link between “women and climate justice”
by positioning it from the angle of: women, first victims of climate change, but also, women as
actors in the change.
Our state of mind: reflection, creativity, action, construction with a delivery approach.
All our efforts must focus on the drive to make a considerable push to begin constructing
feminist movements on climate in our countries to heighten visibility as much as possible.
From now until COP 21, we must develop the means to:
 Draft a women’s international political resolution from now until COP 21.
 Circulate information amongst ourselves on our respective initiatives. Distribute them.
Our Demands at Climate Coalition 21:
 Assure greater visibility for women’s and feminists’ positions and demands on climate in
discussions, especially the week of 7-11 December, by organising a “Women’s Space”:
international feminist stand, women’s speeches;
 Plan to organise a women’s and feminists’ procession at the demonstration ;
 Set up an international feminists’ stand at the Alternatiba week-end in France.
 Plan a full day devoted to the Coalition’s feminist positions as was done at the World
Social Forums (WSFs) and the European Social Forums (ESFs).
 Get the financial means to plan our actions and distribute our position papers.
Paris, 15 June 2015.
Monique Dental, contact for the Gender and Climate Change Group to Coalition Climate 21.
Contact email : monique.dental@orange.fr
This summary is addressed to:
Members present at the Workshop at the 15 June meeting in Nanterre (France)
Members of the Gender and Climate Change Group
Climate Coalition 21. It will be inserted on Coalition’s site.
CLIMATE COALITION Gender and Climate Workshop. International Meetings 13-14 June
2015
List of participants. Please send any error or omission to: monique.dental@orange.fr
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Last Name, First Name
Country
DENTAL Monique
Climate Change Group
Organisation
Feminist Network “Ruptures” and Gender and
monique.dental@orange.fr
France
Osprey Orielle Lake
International (WECAN)
E-mail
Women’s Earth and Climate Action Network
oolake@jps.net
USA
IRIDIANI Seibert
Brazil
ViaCampesina
iridianigs@yahoo.com
REARDOU Juan
Venezuela
ViaCampesina juan.reardou@viacampesina.org
GEUMSOON Yoon
Korea
LVCKWPA
ygs59@hanmail.net
NAREMDER Kumar
India
IPAC-India
asiapublicaffaires@gmail.com
KIEFE Françoise
Group
France
Attac-Gender and Gender and Climate Change
f.kiefe@gmail.com
ROJTMAN Suzy
France
Collectif National pour les Droits des Femmes
(National Collective for Women’s Rights - CNDF) collectifdroitsdesfemmes@gmail.com
GORECKI Julie
France
HAMAN Myriam
Le printemps du Climat (Climate Spring)
gorecki.julie@gmail.com
France
GREENSFELDER Claire
& INOCHI
USA
Vélorution(Cyclelution)
minimir@no-log.org
Women’s Environment and Development (WEDO)
claire.greensfelder@egmail.com
GUERRIER Armelle
France
Brahma Kunalis
RIBA Christine
France
Via Campesina, Confédération paysanne
christineconfp26@orange.fr
DAVID Béatrice
France
Via Campesina, Confédération paysanne
beatricedavid.mail@gmail.com
VARIN
Viviana
France
RITIMO
armelle.guerrier108@gmail.com
v.varin@ritimo.org
WIESNER Cindy
USA
Grassroots Global Justice & World March of Women
cindy@ggjalliance.org
LOPEZ Virginia
Europe
Women in Development Europe (WIDE)
virginialopezcalvo@gmail.com ; info@wide-network.org
Translation by Danica Jorden
oOo
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