Women Delegates Fund
Climate change is the most urgent challenge of the 21st century, and women are responding. Their experiences and perspectives are integral to solutions and must be represented at all levels of decision making. Yet gender inequities continue to challenge women’s full participation, particularly in power and decision making spheres.
Established in 2009 with support of the Government of Finland, the Women Delegates Fund (WDF) provides support to women delegates from developing countries, and specifically least developed countries, to participate in the global climate change negotiations at the UNFCCC (United Nations Framework Conference on Climate Change).
Since its inception, the WDF has evolved from a travel fund to an in-depth leadership program for a group of core participants. The Fund has allowed for targeted capacity-building in a range of areas from advocacy techniques to media skills, created a strong network of female delegates, and provided economic support. The effects of the WDF are already being felt; more than twenty-five women delegates who were previously unable to attend UNFCCC meetings have participated effectively, and initiatives and networking led by WDF participants contributed to the groundbreaking eight references to the links between gender and climate change in the Cancun Agreements at the COP16. As one delegate said: “The WDF makes us ambassadors for women across all areas of negotiations. Other countries now want to increase the women on their delegations and, even just by being in the room, we are helping to ensure that gender remains in the language of the text.”
Through the WDF and other initiatives, WEDO is committed to the consistent and increased participation of women across all levels of negotiations at the UNFCCC. With COP17 in South Africa just around the corner, this is an exciting time for the WDF. WEDO looks forward to the work of the women delegates in the upcoming months and the continuation and expansion of the program into 2012!
The Latest Women Delegates Fund News
NEW Brochure: “Empower Women, Impact Climate”
If climate change policies are going to be effective, women have to be at the negotiating table. Established in 2009 by WEDO, the Global Gender Climate Alliance (GGCA), and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) with the support of the Government of Finland, the Women Delegates Fund (WDF) supports the participation and leadership of women at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) negotiations.
“Empower Women, Impact Climate” details the stories of four amazing participants in the WDF.
Delegate Profile: Joe Marie Judie Roy, Haiti
For Haiti, the impacts of climate change are an everyday reality which has resulted in the devastating loss of life, environmental degradation, and political instability. Extreme weather events, tropical storms, and hurricanes have caused severe flooding year after year, affecting the lives of millions.
Like many Haitians, Joe Marie ‘Judie’ Roy knows better than most the challenges faced in a country devastated by natural disaster. The catastrophic 2010 earthquake took the lives of thousands of individuals and uprooted the everyday lives of millions more. The physical and mental shock of such an event shook the small country to its core and, as Judie says, “almost broke my spirit completely.” “We lost so much,” says Judie, “our people, our infrastructure, and some of our strongest advocates.” Judie is referring particularly to leading women’s rights activists who were lost in the earthquake. In the face of such loss, Judie’s conviction to serve her country and its people has emboldened. “Since the earthquake my goals have become more urgent. I am determined to keep working to raise awareness of the impacts of climate change on all human beings, especially women.”
Delegate Profile: Meena Khanal, Nepal
Very unique—a woman in the predominantly male Nepalese government—Meena
Khanal of Kathmandu, Nepal always dreamed that she would work for her country, traveling the world and serving those in need of aid. Passionate about protecting the natural environment and helping the people of Nepal, Meena’s career took her from working at the Ministry of Tourism to her position today, the Joint Secretary, of the Ministry of Environment and its Gender Focal Point.
Delegate Profile: Ulamila Wragg, the Cook Islands
The Pacific Islands confront climate change in a way most of us can’t begin to imagine. Sea level rise threatens not only the Pacific Islands’ resources—saltwater intrusion threatens freshwater and fertile soils for food production—but also endangers these countries’ very existence with the loss of several hectares of land each year. As UNFCCC Delegate and Cook Island-native Ulamila Wragg says, “Climate change cuts across every aspect of our society. The impacts are not indirect; they are directly affecting the livelihoods of our people, from education to government spending to our daily living.”
Delegate Profile: Patience Damptey, Ghana
Patience Damptey has been in public service for almost all of her life. With a background in chemistry, environmental science, and gender policy planning, Patience began her career in 1973 as a high school teacher. Thirty-eight years and multiple government and ministry positions later, Patience is officially retired, but can still be seen walking the halls of the UNFCCC as one of the top negotiators for Ghana and the Africa Group. Back home, she works tirelessly for the coalition she co-founded, Gender Action on Climate Change for Equality and Sustainability (GACCES); a coalition of individuals and organizations from all regions of Ghana who are committed to the promotion of women’s rights and gender equality in climate change responses.
