Happy New Year! 2012 is well underway and - with CSW just about to begin and Rio+20 only months away - we think this year is going to be a momentous one!

In this newsletter, you'll find some indication of our priorities in 2012: pushing for continued progress toward a bold and binding global deal on climate change; promoting and fostering women's leadership at multiple levels; partnering with incredible networks and organizations around the world to strengthen civil society's access and impact for effective global governance - all integral in shaping the future we want. We'll be at Rio+20 in June - along with many of you, we hope - to fight for it.

We could not work on our extensive and rigorous program without partnerships, so we want to begin the year by thanking you - our partners and friends - for your continued support. Moreover, we seek to start this busy year exemplifying the principles of empowerment and collaboration that we promote. Let us work together in peace and cooperation - while driving relentlessly toward our ideals.

Join us. Stay in touch. Take action.

You'll hear from us again soon! In the meantime, in solidarity,

Cate and the WEDO Team

PS - We're still celebrating our 20th anniversary year! Have a great WEDO story or photos from '92? Let us know! Visit our WEDO20+ page for more.

 

The Commission on the Status of Women (CSW)is a functional commission of the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), charged with evaluating progress on gender equality and formulating concrete policies that promote gender equality. This year's CSW 56, held from February 27th to March 9th, 2012, will focus on the urgency of rural women's empowerment.

WEDO will be coordinating and co-sponsoring many of CSW events, including those related to climate change and Rio+20, as well those organized for GEAR. For a full schedule of events sponsored by WEDO and our partners, as well as WEDO's Overview of CSW, click here.

For the latest news and a full schedule of CSW events, visit NGO Committee on the Status of Women website.  For daily updates follow @WEDO_Worldwide @UN_CSW @UN_Women on Twitter and remember to use the #CSW56 hashtag for all your posts.

---

UNFCCC Bonn Intersessional

The first session of the 2012 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) negotiations will be held in Bonn, Germany, from May 12th-25th. Registration for accredited NGOs and IGOs is now open and will close on Wednesday, March 28th. Applications for side events will be accepted between Tuesday, March 6th, and Friday, March 9th. For full information on key dates and logistics for this meeting, click here. 

 

WEDO is closely following the UNFCCC process; currently working on policy recommendations for various submission deadlines prior to the meeting in Bonn. For more information on this, contact WEDO Advocacy Coordinator, Rachel Harris, rachel@wedo.org.

Accreditation and Registration
Accredited groups are required to pre-register their attendance online. Pre-registration will close on 20 May 2012. There will be no further registration after that date. Registration for non-accredited groups is now closed. More information on Accreditation and Registration to Rio+20 here: http://www.uncsd2012.org/registration

Side Events/ Women's Major Group Activities
Full information on Rio+20 side event registration and logistics in addition to details on all Women's Major Group activities and events can be found on the Women on the Road to Rio+20 site.

Stay informed
Receive the newsletter - Rio+20: Making it Happen - filled with important deadlines and information for participants. Subscribe online here.  Follow Women's Major Group updates on Twitter  and Facebook, and remember, spread the word! Tweet "I'm joining Women on the Road to Rio+20 @Women_Rio20 http://women-rio20.ning.com #RioPlus20 #UNCSD"! 

 

REDD+ is a fast-tracked global initiative that attempts to protect forests and extend climate change mitigation response measures into the areas of conservation, sustainable forest management, and enhancement of carbon stocks. While REDD+ may present many opportunities for climate change mitigation, it poses a potential threat to women's human rights if women are not able to access decision-making spheres and benefits and are not consulted along the way.

WEDO proudly partnered with IUCN in the second half of last year to develop national-level roadmaps for the design and implementation of gender-sensitive REDD+ strategies in Ghana, Cameroon and Uganda. In each country, the process was kick-started by a three-day workshop for local women's organizations and gender experts, followed immediately by a two-day workshop for decision-makers.

This factsheet highlights the initial outcomes of this work. Click here to download or contact Andrea Quesada, andrea@wedo.org, for more information.

 

If climate change policies are going to be effective, women have to be at the negotiating table. With generous support from the Government of Finland, WEDO established the Women Delegates Fund (WDF) in 2009 - in partnership with the Global Gender Climate Alliance (GGCA) and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) - to support and promote the participation and leadership of women from the global South to be part of their national delegations to United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) negotiations.

 

Empower Women, Impact Climate details the stories of four amazing women of the WDF. In the brochure, you will meet Patience, an "officially retired" but ever-active leader from Ghana; Ulamila, who works on behalf of women in the extremely climate-vulnerable Pacific Islands; Meena, a woman in the predominantly male Nepalese government; and Judie, one of the first women to run for President of Haiti.

 

Below, WEDO Board Chair Monique Essed Fernandes speaks about WEDO and our work on gender and climate change. To view other WEDO Board members and partners speaking at COP17, click here.

Monique Essed Fernades

Ms. Patience Damptey, negotiator for the Government of Ghana at the United Nations Convention on Climate Change, speaks about women's leadership at the UNFCCC and being part of the Women Delegates Fund.

Women Leaders at the UNFCCC