1 Million Women recently participated in a Twitter event with UNFCCC Executive Secretary Christiana Figueres to chat about the 2013 Lighthouse Activities under the Momentum for Change initiative of the United Nations.
1 Million Women is one of the seventeen lighthouse activities to be showcased at special events during the UN Climate Change Conference in Warsaw, Poland (11-22 November). During the Twitter event Christina Figueres was asked what most excited her about this years activities, to which she replied “They all show that climate action can positively transform lives, communities and benefit the planet”. This is exactly what 1 Million Women is about.
Nat, 1 Million Women founder, wrote a post yesterday which also mentioned the UN’s gender and climate change commitment , which says, ‘It is increasingly evident that women are at the centre of the climate change challenge. Women are disproportionately affected by climate change impacts, such as droughts, floods and other extreme weather events, but they also have a critical role in combating climate change.’
We are really happy to see that five of the seventeen lighthouse activities chosen are women-led climate change initiatives and are looking forward to furthering the discussions on women’s leadership roles on climate change in Warsaw.
Here are the five women-led lighthouse activities:
- Australia: 1 Million Women, building a movement to get one million women to take small steps in their everyday lives to cut emissions
- Ghana: Bamboo Bikes Initiative, women leading on climate change by building high-quality bamboo bicycles
- Guatemala: Women Farmers in Guatemala (AIRES), planting trees to sequester carbon and improve farming techniques
- Kenya: The BOMA Project, enabling vulnerable women to adapt to climate change by building small businesses
- South Africa: Food and Trees for Africa, fostering women’s leadership through planting trees and raising awareness about climate change
Figueres said all the activities chosen are “true beacons of hope, demonstrating what happens when innovation and passion come together to address the biggest challenge of our time”. We are so thankful and proud to be part of the 2013 Momentum for change initiative and can’t wait to be there in Warsaw.
Keep up with 1 Million Women on the blog, on Twitter and Facebook to stay updated on all the action from this exciting event!!
Follow the hashtag #M4C (which stands for “Momentum for Change”) to keep track of the conversation and use the same hashtag in your posts if you would like to join the conversation.