OUT for Sustainability

One of the biggest highlights of my year was having the honor to participate in the?#COP29?high-level event on gender in transparency. The event featured interventions by the COP29 President, #UNFCCC deputy executive secretary, #UNWomen leadership, the Chair of the State Committee for Family, Women and Children Affairs of #Azerbaijan, as well as a high-level panel with the High-level Champions for climate action and the deputy minister for multilateral affairs of #Mexico, after which I had the huge honor to represent the Women and Gender Constituency and OUT for Sustainability in a fireside chat moderated by Rangita de Silv from the UN #CEDAW, together with the amazing Bridget K. Burns, in representation of Women's Environment & Development Organization and the Gender and Environment Data Alliance (GEDA) and the Director for Climate, Ministry of Foreign Affairs for #Brazil, Liliam Chagas. During my participation, I had the chance to present a summary of the latest study on the disproportionate impact of extreme weather events on LGBTQ+ people regarding displacement based on the US pulse census (on which our?#Out4S?colleague?Leo Goldsmith?worked). I then followed up with key examples from Mexico,?#Australia,?#California, and #UNFPA?on how to uplift people in vulnerable situations.? Check out the recording of the fireside chat here (https://lnkd.in/eK9jHzHn) and the full event here (https://lnkd.in/efPde4RV) For more information regarding the LGBTQ+ climate-induced displacemnet, please visit: https://lnkd.in/eAqQaqrC Thank you to everyone who made this possible. This has been a high point of my professional and personal career, and I plan to continue contributing towards more inclusive and equitable climate action. ?? As we close 2024, I would also like to invite you again to consider donating to Out for Sustainability advocacy and action efforts so we can continue working on these important issues: https://lnkd.in/evTXePaF #ClimateChange #Climate #Equity #Diversity #Gender #Inclusion #Environment #ClimateAction #Sustainability #Development #Intersectionality #LGBTQ #Data #HumanRights #SustainableDevelopment

?? Only a week left before the deadline to submit your comments and suggestions in the #JPAC Public Consultation on “Reaching Horizon 2030: An Environmental Outlook for North American Cooperation (H-2030)! Have your say! Help the development of strategies to address the triple planetary crisis of #ClimateChange, #biodiversity loss and #pollution, all while working to achieve North America's climate, environment and biodiversity goals. ?? The goal of H-2030 is to provide critical information and input to chart the future of the CEC’s work and help identify priority actions that accelerate progress to 2030. Do not miss this opportunity to share insights and recommendations on how the CEC can best address key environmental challenges through regional environmental cooperation and the H-2030 initiative ????????????. Share your thoughts by Friday 17 January! To learn more visit: ??https://lnkd.in/eeJcDdxU

????Calling all North American youth! Are you helping your community to become more sustainable? ????Our #GenEnvironmentalLeaders Program might be the opportunity you’ve been waiting for! #ActNow to support North American communities and preserve our shared waters, lands and air. Apply by 12 January 2025 at 11:59 pm (your local time)! Learn more about #GELP: ??https://lnkd.in/gXfjGA8Y

Intersectionality was a hot topic in the gender negotiations at #COP29. Unfortunately, the outcome failed to recognize the importance of understanding and addressing intersecting inequities for just and effective climate action. Outside the negotiations, however, the conversation on intersectionality as it relates to climate change is expanding, becoming more nuanced, and focused on moving from theory to practice. At Development & Climate Days, International Institute for Sustainable Development had the opportunity to co-host a conversation on intersectional approaches to climate change adaptation with Asian-Pacific Resource & Research Centre for Women (ARROW), Girls For Climate Action, OUT for Sustainability and Women's Environment & Development Organization.?We unpacked why it matters and identified challenges and opportunities in taking it forward. My key takeaways: ?? Intersectional approaches are grounded in an understanding of power structures and the ways in which intersectional inequities influence vulnerability to climate change – this requires a willingness to deal with complexity. ?? We need to recognize the opposition to intersectional, rights-based approaches, and strategize on how to address it. ?? This is hard, but we believe it will lead to better outcomes from adaptation efforts. Thanks to Bridget K. Burns, Diego de Leon Segovia, Joanita Babirye, and Menka Goundan for the collaboration in organizing this event, Lulu Kitololo for the beautiful graphic report, and the #DCDays2024 organizers for the space to have this conversation!

The UN Climate Conference in Baku ended in overtime ?? #COP29 was billed as the Finance COP. It was also to be the Gender COP. Neither had an ideal outcome. There’s more hope in the gender decision because it sets out a way forward, but what will it mean without public finance? Beyond gender and finance, COP was busy with negotiations on adaptation, just transition, mitigation, and sprinkled in were some discussions on health (with #SRHR only coming up outside of negotiations). ?? In reflecting on COP, I am most grateful for the community of feminists who tirelessly pushed to advance gender and climate justice. We showed up with demands, objectives, hope and fierce determination (as WGC, SRHR & Climate Justice Coalition and Women Deliver). Against the backdrop of structural oppression, imperialism and power imbalances, feminists did not give up, and even found joy. ? Gender: We have a 10-year work program on gender. It’s a qualified success. Though it makes limited progress in advancing gender and climate justice, it does call for gender- and age-disaggregated data, full equal and meaningful participation of women, and gender-responsive finance, and it provides an important roadmap to develop a gender action plan (GAP) at COP30. Due to the backlash on gender, it fails to meet reality and doesn’t address intersectionality, discrimination and diversity. All eyes are on the GAP now. It needs to ensure that all girls, women and gender-diverse people, especially adolescent girls, are leaders and beneficiaries of climate action, not marginalized by it. And it needs to address care work, gender-based violence, and sexual and reproductive health and rights. ?? Finance: To meet the needs of the global majority, achieve climate justice and ensure the health and rights of people, especially the most marginalized, the annual cost is in the trillions. Baku agreed on just $300 billion per year, by 2035, which is woefully inadequate, vague, and fails to hold developed countries, those most responsible, to account. ?? Health: Some progress under the Global Goal on Adaptation to continue working on indicators and to capture information on gender equality and on children and young people, including their health. It's time for COPs to reflect the climate crisis is a health crisis and incorporate SRHR. ?? Check out this advocacy brief! SRHR: Integral to the Climate and Health Response, https://lnkd.in/eRc-U6s4 Maria Antonia Deziderio Paola Daher Bridget K. Burns Claudia Rubio Giraldo Tara E. Daniel Khusbu Poudel Diego de Leon Segovia Menka Goundan Nada Elbohi Lisbet Dinsen Liane Schalatek Jessica Beagley Rebecca Heuvelmans Zainab Yunusa Chiagozie Udeh