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Resources for collective mobilization around COP28

On this page you can find a list of resources, key organizations, and upcoming events relevant to the discussions on climate policy at the 28th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP28) in Dubai, UAE, in November 2023. From policy briefs to training sessions and media toolkits, the following resources reflect the rich diversity of ways in which you can engage in climate justice advocacy, including with a ‘men and masculinities’ lens. While this list was developed for COP28, it provides a host of relevant resources for advocacy beyond COP.

About COP28

COP28 UAE will take place from 30 November to 12 December 2023 at Expo City, Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. The United Nations Climate Change Conferences are yearly conferences held in the framework of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). They serve as the formal meeting of the UNFCCC parties (Conference of the Parties, COP) to negotiate and agree on action on how to tackle climate change, limit emissions and halt global warming. The United Nations Climate Change Conferences are the world’s highest decision-making body on climate issues and one of the largest international meetings in the world. It is also a gathering place for climate justice activists from around the world, who carry out a wide range of activities to propel accountability, transformation and to elevate the voices and agendas of feminist, youth, indigenous and other movements already deeply affected by climate change. 

What can I do to support climate justice advocacy at COP28?

Follow these climate justice movements and their activities…

Fridays for Future (FFF) – Youth Climate Justice Advocacy

FFF, is a youth-led and -organised global climate strike movement that started in August 2018. They created the hashtag #FridaysForFuture, and encouraged other young people all over the world to join them. This marked the beginning of the global school strike for climate. Their call for action sparked an international awakening, with students and activists uniting around the globe to protest outside their local parliaments and city halls. Along with other groups across the world, Fridays for Future is part of a hopeful new wave of change, inspiring millions of people to take action on the climate crisis.

Friday’s for Future critical agenda for climate and gender justice includes a bold call for “No More Empty Promises” including:

a) A moratorium on all new fossil fuel projects. End all investments in the industry;
b) Annual and binding carbon budgets;
c) Economic, racial and gender justice in climate policy;
d) Protect and safeguard democracy. Citizen participation in climate decision making; and
e) Making ecocide an international crime.

 

Women & Gender Constituency

​​The Women and Gender Constituency (WGC) is one of the nine stakeholder groups of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Established in 2009, the WGC now consists of 33 women’s and environmental civil society organizations, who are working to ensure that women’s voices and their rights are embedded in all processes and results of the UNFCCC framework, for a sustainable and just future, so that gender equality and women’s human rights are central to the ongoing discussions. As the WGC represents the voices of hundreds and thousands of people across the globe, members of the Constituency are present at each UNFCCC meeting and intersessional to work alongside the UNFCCC Secretariat, governments, civil society observers and other stakeholders to ensure that women’s rights and gender justice are core elements of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.

Key Resources and Activities by Women & Gender Constituency for climate justice advocacy 

The following updates are shared and amplified on behalf of Women & Gender Constituency

Learn more about climate justice and women’s rights…

The following are key events, learning, and training spaces on COP28 that will help you develop an intersectional understanding of why climate justice is about gender justice, and vice-versa.

Pre-COP28 Events

  • The Climate Classroom: Offers a free and short interactive learning experience that is designed to help those attending or following climate meetings get quickly up-to-speed on important climate topics. Each class is 45 minutes long and delivered by a team of experts following a 3-step lesson plan that allows you to engage and interact with the content. Climate Classroom @ COP28 will be fully online meaning that you can follow our classes if you’re attending COP in Dubai or following the event from home.
  • Climate Change Negotiations and Health with WHO – Thursday, 23 Nov 2023 at 3pm
  • The Paris Agreement with UNFCCC – Wednesday, 29 Nov 2023 at 10am
  • Mitigación del Cambio Climático with UNEP – Wednesday, 29 Nov 2023 at 2pm
  • Achieving a Just Transition with ILO – Thursday, 30 Nov 2023 at 10am
  • Climate Adaptation with the Global Centre on Adaptation  – Thursday, 30 Nov 2023 at 2pm
  • Loss and Damage with Manila Observatory – Friday, 01 Dec 2023 at 10am
  • The Global Stocktake with WRI – Friday, 01 Dec 2023 at 2pm
  • Gender Equality, Climate Justice and Youth Power with UN Women – Monday, 04 Dec 2023 at 10am
  • Tackling Plastic Pollution with UNITAR – Monday, 04 Dec 2023 at 2pm
  • Climate Finance with UNEP-FI – Tuesday, 05 Dec 2023 at 10am
  • Sustainable Marine Transport with UNITAR – Tuesday, 05 Dec 2023 at 2pm
  • Digital Solutions for Climate Action with ITU – Wednesday, 06 Dec 2023 at 10am
  • Sustainable Infrastructure with UNEP  – Wednesday, 06 Dec 2023 at 2pm
  • Inclusive Humanitarian Energy with UNITAR – Thursday, 07 Dec 2023 at 10am
  • Climate Change and Human Rights with OHCHR – Thursday, 07 Dec 2023 at 2pm
  • Upskilling for Decarbonisation with UNITAR – Friday, 08 Dec 2023 at 10am
  • Greening Data Centres with ITU – Monday, 11 Dec 2023 at 1pm CET
  • ​​Briefing on the UN Climate Change Conference (COP28), taking place live on youtube and at the Palais des Nations, Room XVIII, on Tuesday 21 November 2023, from 10.00 to 12:00 CET: More information: https://www.genevaenvironmentnetwork.org/events/briefing-on-the-un-climate-change-conference-cop28/
    • The event will be livestreamed on YouTube.
    • The event will take place at Palais des Nations. Participants in Geneva are kindly invited to join in person. Participants can register for in-person attendance via Indico. 
  • Pre-COP28 Global Gender & Environment Data Conference: November 28-29, 2023 in Dubai: As part of existing global efforts to expand the understanding of the gender-environment nexus, the Offices of the President of the 28th Conference of the Parties (COP 28) and the UN Climate Change High Level Champions, UNFCCC, UN Women, IUCN, and WEDO will convene a Global Conference on Gender and Environment Data. Speakers and participants will include UN Agencies, government officials and policy makers, leaders and commitment makers of the Feminist Action for Climate Justice Action Coalition and the Gender Environment Data Alliance (GEDA), private foundations, civil society organizations, indigenous leaders and local communities and academia. This conference is FREE to attend with registration through the conference website, where you can also get complete conference information. COP28 registration is also required, but assistance for registration may be available. Please reach out to Rosalind Helfand at Rosalind.Helfand@UNWomen.org with questions. 
  • COP28 Trainings by the Women and Gender Constituency (WGC) : The Women and Gender Constituency has been advocating for gender-just climate solutions to address the intersectional nature of our current crisis. As such, they conduct various training and information sessions around the issue of climate justice. WGC also provides an in-depth engagement on key advocacy priorities, the United Nations Framework Convention of Climate Change (UNFCCC), and demands at the gender and climate nexus for COP28 respectively. Explore their YouTube Channel for relevant recordings as you prepare for COP28, and climate justice advocacy beyond COP.
  • Alternative Human Rights Expo: The Gulf Centre for Human Rights (GCHR) and over two dozen partners will organised an online event on 15 November 2023 ahead of the 28th session of the Conference of Parties (COP28) to be held from 30 November to 12 December 2023 in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The online event followed the format of the first  Alternative Human Rights Expo organised by 26 NGOs in October 2021 as a counter response to the Dubai Expo. The event will highlight human rights issues related to the suppression of freedom of expression and assembly. The purpose of the event is to call for the release of human rights defenders (HRDs) detained in the UAE as well as other W/HRDs persecuted/arrested in the region – from Bahrain to Egypt to Iran to Saudi Arabia, including environmental activists, by showcasing the work of detained W/HRDs and activists as well as artists, poets, writers and singers from the MENA region with a focus on human rights. There are related activities such as social media campaigns, joint appeals, a petition to the UAE to release HRDs, protests or delivery of the petition to Emirati Embassies and/or the UAE Mission in Geneva, and smaller online events or communities of practise (on topics such as digital security or advocacy) leading up to the event. More info here.

Agendas and Learning Materials

Explore the links between patriarchal masculinities and climate justice…

MenEngage Alliance Resources

 

Image credit: Pixabay, Pexels

Date
19 November 2023
Source
Global
Network
Global