Members organise 4-day Forum on climate, masculinity, and gender equality in Brussels

This four-day event included a meeting with a Member of European Parliament, a one-day conference, strategic planning sessions, and a visit to a cooperative food farm project run by one of the Working Group members.

It brought together activists, practitioners, researchers and advocates—from the Working Group and partners—united by a common goal: To explore the intersections of climate justice and masculinities and to further develop the plans and strategies for action on this agenda.

Why have an in-person meeting in Brussels on climate and masculinities as MenEngage Alliance?

The Climate & Environmental Justice Working Group has been collaborating closely since being set up in 2021 after a series of climate webinars as part of the MenEngage Ubuntu Symposium. The group has met almost every month since, although exclusively online. The in-person meeting was a rare opportunity to build on and strengthen the Working Group, to foster deeper relationships, and collaboratively refine the group’s goals, plans, and messages for future initiatives. Another critical goal was to amplify the voices of Working Group members representing the Most Affected People and Areas (MAPA) in the Global South, ensuring their perspectives were heard by civil society organizations (CSOs), researchers, and policymakers advocating for gender equality and climate justice in Brussels.

Day 1: Connecting with Each Other and Nature

The meeting commenced with a focus on building relationships—both among participants and with nature. The group was able to visit a cooperative food forest project of one of the Working Group members, Katrien van der Heyden. Participants exchanged their personal stories and motivations for working at the nexus of climate and masculinities, and reflecting on what brought them to this gathering.

The afternoon culminated in tree-planting, representing their commitment to nurturing the planet and each other, while helping to offset some of the emissions impact of the meeting.

Day 2: A conference on Climate Justice and Masculinities

The second day shifted to a conference with a deeper exploration of climate justice through the lens of masculinities. Hosted by Oxfam Belgium, the conference facilitated rich discussions around political understandings of the relationship between gender, masculinity and climate justice.

Keynote speakers were MenEngage Working Group members Sohanur Rahman from YouthNet Bangladesh and Kayinga Muddu Yisito from COTFONE, Uganda. They each shared about their practical work with engaging boys and men for gender justice and climate justice in the local communities at the forefront of the climate crisis, and how they raise the voices, struggles and solutions of the most affected people to the policymakers at local-, country level and all the way up to the highest global policy levels. One key takeaway was that the those at the forefront of the climate crisis have to be at the forefront of the negotiation tables.

The panel focused on how to engage men for climate justice and included Sue-Ann Barratt, researcher from Trinidad & Tobago and member of the MenEngage Working Group, Jean Pascale, climate researcher and former vice-chair of the United Nations International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), Laura Bernard, Project Officer at Women Engage for a Common Future (WECF), Andrzej Nowakowski, Advisor on Agriculture and Rural Development at the European Parliament, and Laura Vinckx gender expert from from Oxfam Belgium who is doing a project on Petroleum Masculinities in collaboration with the Swedish researcher Martin Hultman (who also occasionally contributes and partners with the MenEngage Working Group).

A key moment of the day was an afternoon workshop with Women Engage for a Common Future and Emancipator, an interested MenEngage member organization from the Netherlands. This collaboration emphasised the importance of intersectional approaches in climate research, in practical work with men and in advocacy. Participants also engaged in a tour of Oxfam’s innovative experiential workshop, gaining firsthand experience of grassroots efforts to tackle the challenges of globalisation.

Day 3: Training Development, Advocacy Planning and meeting with a Member of European Parliament

On the third day, the focus turned to actionable outcomes, with participants brainstorming ideas for a training of trainers program. This initiative would equip Working Group members with the necessary skills and knowledge to advocate effectively for climate justice in their communities with a focus on engaging men and boys and disrupting male stereotypes.

A significant aspect of the day was advocacy planning for the European Parliament. Participants had the opportunity to meet Pär Holmgren, a Green Member of European Parliament (MEP) from Sweden, discussing strategies for influencing policy. This gave Mr Holmgren a well-appreciated opportunity to hear from front-line climate defenders from the MenEngage Working Group, Sohanur Rahman and Kayinga Muddu Yisito. Mr Holmgren later recorded a video, sharing insights on the links between masculinity and the climate crisis: 

The day concluded with participants recording advocacy and activism videos outside the parliament, amplifying their messages and raising awareness about the urgent need for climate action with a masculinities lens.

Day 4: Reflections and Future Directions

The final day was marked by a return to Katrien’s space for reflective workshops. Participants shared their insights, plans, and ways forward, reinforcing their commitment to the cause. 

A crucial topic of discussion centered on “Defend the Defenders”—a conversation about supporting human rights and environmental defenders within MenEngage Alliance who face risks due to their advocacy work, specifically the work against the East African Crude Oil Pipeline that the French oil company Total Energies is constructing through Uganda and Tanzania violating human rights, the environment and the climate.

An inspiring video session in Katrien’s garden captured the essence of the gathering, showcasing the passion and determination of the participants. Participants emphasized the importance of being bold, vocal, and accountable in the fight for climate justice, recognizing that the intersection of gender and environmental issues must remain at the forefront of their efforts.

This filming session also provided an opportunity to kick-start the How To Talk With Men campaign, with the Working Group starring in the launch video for the campaign.

One important next step for the Working Group is to collect signatures to a Sign-on Statement developed by the group. The statement focuses on patriarchal masculinity norms, which reward domination and exploitation of humans and nature, as important root causes to the climate crisis and the importance of engaging more boys and men to care and work as allies with the girls, women and gender diverse people who lead the feminist work for gender justice and climate justice. The Sign-on Statement was later used as an advocacy tool by Working Group members at the global UN climate conference COP29 in Azerbaijan in November 2024 and will be used building up to COP30 in Brazil 2025.

Reflecting on the week

The MenEngage Climate Justice Forum on Masculinities provided an inspiring platform for the MenEngage Climate & Environmental Justice Working Group to convene in person. This gathering brought together dedicated individuals united by a shared commitment to driving change. Through meaningful connection, collaborative dialogue, and focused advocacy, participants left the forum invigorated and equipped with strategies to take forward as a group, and to advance across MenEngage Alliance as a whole.

 

Article prepared by the Climate & Environmental Justice Working Group, with photos by Tom Hornbrook, MenEngage Alliance