Leaders want equal representation of women in the COP27 Presidency & Leadership team
We are facing a planetary emergency, and more than 500 leaders from around the world are coming together to ask the COP27 Presidency and all Leaders attending COP for equal representation and urgent action to solve the crisis.
Women and men are collectively asking for urgent action to be taken by the COP27 Presidency (Egypt), but also the UNFCCC and all Parties getting ready for COP27. The SHE Changes Climate open letter has gathered over 500 signatures from government, business, civil society, academic, research, grassroots, and cultural leaders asking for gender equality in climate negotiations. The demand for gender equality is now.
SHE Changes Climate welcomes the progress being achieved so far by the COP26 and COP27 Champions and recognises that Egypt has developed a stronger vision for women empowerment, compared to the UK last year. We would like to thank Dr. Mahmoud Mohieldin, who is both a climate champion and a gender champion, as well as his team for their effort and support to advance the climate and gender action agenda.
We are celebrating these positive steps taken by Egypt while asking the COP27 President, H.E. Shoukry, to put these words into action and appoint women ministers to his team in a more transparent and visible way. This is why we are sending him this letter which was signed by top decision-makers and women of influence, as well as men who are joining the movement for more inclusiveness and diversity. We can only address the crisis if we all work together, in a new model of shared leadership, to accelerate the implementation of the Paris Agreement. The phase-out of fossil fuel subsidies, as well as loss and damage and financial support for resilience, are all very urgent and important.
We are calling on the COP28 Presidency to appoint a woman as President, or in the longer term, the UNFCCC to require the hosting Party to appoint Co-Presidents (a man and a woman). Since COP1 in Berlin in 1995 when Angela Merkel was COP president, only five women have been appointed as President of COP. At this rate, it would take until COP44 in 2039 to bridge the gender gap. We are running out of time. Appointing a female Co-President at every single COP would help bridge this gap and bring in much-needed missing perspectives. Women need to be given an equal voice and a seat at the table, for climate negotiations as well as for peace negotiations. Together we can restore the spirit of shared leadership and radical collaboration, in order to achieve successful dialogues and global cooperation for the collective good.
Join the supporters of SHE Changes Climate:
“Women’s equality is essentially a question of power. We must urgently transform our male-dominated world and shift the balance of power, to solve the most challenging problems of our age."
- António Guterres, UN Secretary-General
"We are facing much more than a climate crisis. It's a crisis of humanity which requires a paradigm shift in what it means to be alive on this planet. To get there, we need inclusive, collaborative forums where all voices are heard. That is why I support the She Changes Climate Campaign to give women equal representation to men in the climate negotiations. And this should just be the start of bringing full diversity and equality to decision making processes to bring about regenerative transformation - both in how we are and what we do."
- Andy Raingold, Co-Founder and Director, Change in Nature
“As humanity attempts to confront the ecological emergency of the anthropocene, it is time to dispose of the 'manthropocene' - the dominance of male voices in the COP26 climate talks. I stand in solidarity with the She Changes Climate campaign to give women an equal voice to men in shaping the negotiations.”
- Roman Krznaric, author of The Good Ancestor: Long Term Thinking for a Short-Term World
“There are many good arguments for relying more on women to deliver collaborative, equitable, lasting solutions to humanity’s greatest challenge today: Climate Breakdown. None however are as compelling as the simple argument that this avoidable problem is the result of male-dominated decision-making. We should acknowledge that with humility and grace, and let women in. #SheChangesClimate”
- Pavan Sukhdev, President WWF International, Founder GIST Impact
"Women are disproportionately affected by the climate crisis, from extreme weather events, loss of agricultural productivity and destruction of life and property. Despite this, women’s participation and representation in decision-making processes that pertain to theirs and their families’ environmental well-being are often restricted, making men’s activities more visible to policymakers, economists, scientists, and planners. By failing to appoint a woman as the next COP President, a huge opportunity will be missed in capturing the unique, intersecting identities and perspectives women have, which contribute to the richness of perspective required to tackle the climate crisis."
- Joycelyn Longdon, Founder Climate in Colour
“Hope is the promise that our imagination makes to our mind, expectation is also the promise that Life makes to our heart and soul. Our Commitment to Planet EARTH must feed on that hope and expectation to plant, grow and nourish the seeds of the World of Tomorrow to flourish with inclusiveness and respect for all forms of life !”
- Dominique Brustlein-Bobst, Swiss Ambassador for SHE Changes Climate
To read the full letter, click here: FOR EQUAL AND VISIBLE REPRESENTATION OF WOMEN IN THE COP27 PRESIDENCY & LEADERSHIP TEAM
Signatories include:
Christiana Figueres - Host, Outrage and Optimism Podcast; Former Executive Secretary, UNFCCC
Laurence Tubiana - President & CEO, European Climate Foundation
Mary Robinson - Former President of Ireland: Chair of The Elders: former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights
Prof Mary McAleese - Former President of Ireland, Professor of Children, Law and Religion, Glasgow University
Evelyne Huytebroeck - Former Brussels Minister of Climate: Co-chair European Green Party
Izabella Teixeira - Former Minister for the Environment, Brazil and Co-Chair IRP/UNEP
Neema Namadamu - Executive Director, Hero Women Rising
Coumba Toure – Board Chair, TrustAfrica Foundation
Wanjira Mathai - Managing Director, Africa and Global Partnerships, WRI
Emma Thompson OBE - Actor and Activist
Alison Sudol - Actress, Musician, Activist
Ellie Goulding - Singer/Songwriter: UN Global Goodwill Ambassador
Bianca Jagger - Founder, President and Chief Executive, Bianca Jagger Human Rights Foundation
Princess Esmeralda de Belgique – Journalist and Activist
Sandrine Dixson-Decleve – Co-President, The Club of Rome
Emma Howard Boyd CBE - Former Chair, UK Environment Agency
Sumita Singha OBE - RIBA Chartered Architect, Ecologic Architects
Judy Ling Wong OBE - Honorary President, Black Environment Network
Dr Anjhula Mya Singh-Bais - Chair, International Board, Amnesty International
Katharine Wilkinson - Co-founder & Executive Director, The All We Can Save Project
Ingmar Rentzhog – Founder and CEO, We Don’t Have Time
Anette Nordwall – Chairwoman, We Don’t Have Time
Dr Michael Mann - Professor of Earth & Environmental Science University of Pennsylvania
Rachel Kyte – Dean, The Fletcher School, Tufts
Kate Raworth - Renegade Economist, University of Oxford
George Monbiot - Author, Journalist, Environmental Activist
Liz Bonnin - Science, Natural History and Environmental Broadcaster
Lily Cole - Model, Author, Social Entrepreneur
Maria Furtwängler – Actress: Activist producer MaLisa Foundation
Dr Mya-Rose Craig – President, Black2Nature
Joycelyn Longdon - Climate Justice Educator and Activist & Forest Conservation Technology PhD Researcher; Founder ClimateInColour
Xiye Bastida - Co-Founder, Re-Earth Initiative
Mercedes Bustamante - Full Professor University of Brasilia
Alice Aedy – Co-Founder, Earthrise
Farhana Yamin - Climate Lawyer, Climate Justice & JustTransition Donor Collaborative
Runa Khan - Founder & Executive Director, Friendship
Bella Lack - Writer, Reserva Youth Land Trust
Alexandria Villasenor - US climate activist, Earth Uprising
Anuna De Wever - Climate Activist, School Strike for Climate
Charly Young MBE - CEO and Co-founder, The Girls’ Network
Adélaïde Charlier - Climate and Human Right Activist and co-founder of Youth For Climate, Belgium Youth For Climate
Valerie Rockefeller -Chair, Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors
Tanya Steele – CEO, WWF UK
Jojo Mehta - Co-Founder & Executive Director, Stop Ecocide International
Reem Al Saffar - Co-Founder & Executive Director, MENA Youth Network
Silvana Koch-Mehrin – President, Women Political Leaders
Melanne Verveer - Director of Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace & Security; Former US Ambassador for Global Womens’ Issues
Baroness Mary Goudie - Member of UK House of Lords: Founding Member 30% Club
Halla Tomasdottir - CEO & Chief Change Catalyst, The B Team
Dominique Brustlein-Bobst - Philanthropist: Swiss Ambassador for SHE Changes Climate
Julia Steinberger - Professor in Ecological Economics, University of Lausanne,
Sierra Quitiquit - Founder & CEO, Plastic Free Fridays + Time for Better
Gail Bradbrook - Co-Founder, Extinction Rebellion
Clare Farrell - Co-Founder, Extinction Rebellion
Cherie Blair – Human Rights Lawyer
André Hoffmann – Philanthropist; Former International VP WWF
Dr. Gunhild A. Stordalen - Founder & Executive Chair, EAT
Paul Polman - Business Leader, Campaigner, Co-Author of Net Positive
Kim Polman - Co-Founder and Chair, Reboot the Future
Bill McKibben - Co-Founder, 350.org
*See here the full list of signatures, click here: SHE Changes Climate List
Contacts for media enquiries:
Caroline Mair, SHE Changes Climate Chief Empowerment Officer (English/ Spanish); Email: caroline.mair@gmail.com;
Elise Buckle, Co-Founder of SHE Changes Climate, Co-President of Climate & Sustainability, UN Advisor (English/ French/Spanish); Email: ebuckle@climate-sustainability.org;
Antoinette Vermilye, Founder of the Gallifrey Foundation, Co-Founder of SHE Changes Climate (English/French); Email: antoinette@gallifrey.foundation;
Bianca Pitt, Co-founder SHE Changes Climate (English/ German); Email: biancagerlinger@yahoo.com;
For general inquiries: hello@shechangesclimate.org, @frances.shechangesclimate@gmail.com, @emily.shechangesclimate@gmail.com
Sign the Open Letter and join other amazing signatories like Mary Robinson, Laurence Tubiana, Christiana Figueres, Bill McKibben, Gunhild Stordalen, Paul Polman, Michael Mann, Arizona Muse, Princess Esmeralda de Belgique, Joanna Ruxton, Alice Aedy, Judy Ling Wong, Izabella Teixeira, Tanya Steele, Ellie Goulding, Xiye Bastida, Emma Thompson OBE, Kate Raworth, Gail Bradbrook, Isabella Tree, Livia Firth, Atossa Soltani and many more.
Follow SHE Changes Climate and keep up to date with our progress at COP27 and our upcoming event on the 4th of November.
