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Dear Friends and Allies,
We can act now and we must act now. This has always been a guiding principle for the Women's Earth and Climate Action Network (WECAN International), but in recent months we have begun to feel the heat with ever greater intensity. World governments are meeting in Paris for the UN COP21 in six short months, working to finalize a climate agreement that will effect our global trajectory in a profound way. As a network of international Climate Women, there has never been a more important moment to raise our voices and mobilize for just, equitable, and transformational change.
This newsletter provides a glimpse into WECAN International's efforts to foster climate justice, women's leadership, and respect for the Earth's ecosystems at this critical time, both in policy circles and on-the-ground with women and frontline communities worldwide. From Climate Solutions Trainings in the DR Congo and Middle East/North Africa region, to advocacy work with Indigenous allies in Latin America, and efforts to create a collective voice and action network of U.S women through our new 'U.S. Women's Climate Justice Initiative', we are amping up our efforts and invite your ongoing participation.
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'Women For 100% Renewable Energy' Training Session Recap
On June 2nd and 4th, WECAN International's 'US Women's Climate Justice Initiative' presented
Women for 100% Renewable Energy: From Installation to Advocacy,
the first in a series of free on-line education and advocacy trainings.
Training topics included: solar installation- including programs for low income women, clean energy policies worth fighting for at a local and national level, the meaning of a just transition to renewables, how to reclaim local power and support decentralized clean energy, how to address over-consumption by "
living well, not more", and other timely topics.
Details on the material covered in the training, including copies of speaker presentations and other resources, can be found in the blog article available here.
Please visit our website for details on future trainings, and click here to register for U.S Women's Climate Justice Initiative updates and calls to action. Our next session, 'Health and Climate Change: What Is At Stake, What Can Be Done?' will be held June 23 and 25.
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WECAN International Regional Climate Solutions Trainings
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Democratic Republic Of Congo Climate Women Take On Deforestation & Clean Energy Needs
WECAN International and local partner SAFECO recently held the third in a series of Climate Solutions Trainings for Indigenous women of the
Itombwe rainforest region in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Training sessions focused on forest guardianship and conservation, including several practicums on tree nursery management, reforestation, and Improved Cooking Stoves. Participants have also formed conservation committees to share their knowledge with other community members, and to create a collective voice against illegal timber and charcoal production in the region.
Click here to view the video created by participants and to read all about this inspiring and productive training on our blog.
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Women From Across The Middle East/North Africa Region Unite At WECAN Training
"Women are a force to be reckoned with, it is time to join together to make this force work towards climate action,"
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Imene Hadjer Bouchair
WECAN MENA Region Program Co-Coordinator
Thirty five participants from across the Middle East/North Africa (MENA) region united for four days of an online WECAN training aimed at building the capacities of local women to lead climate change solutions, and to confront the social injustices inherent in the climate crisis. Topics included the renewable energy shift,
the MENA region water crisis, biodiversity, food security, Rights of Nature, and climate education through networking, social media, messaging, and storytelling.
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Women Address Climate Change In Palestine
After being inspired by the curriculum and her experience participating in a WECAN MENA region training,
Amal A. Shaikhah of Palestine decided to organize a training for women in her community. The powerful event focused on the role of rural woman in addressing climate change in the Palestinian territories.
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Climate Women In Action
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Update From WECAN Latin America
WECAN's Coordinator for Latin America, Kiyomi Nagumo, has been hard at work organizing and supporting frontline women across her home country of Bolivia and beyond. In addition to incredible work on-the-ground with Indigenous and grassroots women, Kiyomi has taken the lead representing WECAN and the Latin American region at several high level U.N. conferences over the past few months.
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Women & Gender Constituency In Bonn
WECAN International stands in solidarity with our allies from the Women and Gender Constituency currently in Germany for the Bonn Climate Change Conference. They are advocating with the newly released
WGC Position Paper On The 2015 New Climate Agreement,
which you can read about and download here.
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WECAN International At The Regional It's Time 2015 Conference
WECAN International Co-Founder and Executive Director, Osprey Orielle Lake, presented at the regional It's Time 2015 conference in California this May.
Osprey discussed how a global system which focuses on profit above people and planet is imperiling the very web of life itself, and reflected on the myriad of ways that women around the world can and are leading the way in challenging and transforming this destructive system. You can read Osprey's full speech here.
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Indigenous women of the Itombwe rainforest at a WECAN Climate Solutions training in the DRC
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U.S Women's Climate Justice Initiative Online Training Schedule
June 23 & 25-
Health & Climate Change: What Is At Stake, What Can Be Done
July 8-
Women On The Frontlines of Climate Change: Resistance & Solutions
July 28-
Rights Of Nature & Community Rights: Protecting & Defending The Places We Live
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Download The Women's Climate Action Agenda
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Indigenous women of the Itombwe rainforest at a WECAN Climate Solutions training in the DRC
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Sign The WECAN Women's Climate Declaration
Visit the
Declaration Webpage
to read, sign, and share the Women's Climate Declaration, drafted by more than 100 women leaders from around the world.
F
or Arabic, Spanish, French, and Italian translations, please see the WECAN website.
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Kiyomi Nagumo, WECAN Latin America Coordinator
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Solar Grandmother, Maria Vani of Bolivia
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Please support WECAN International in our efforts to amplify women's voices in climate change solutions - from the Congo to the Amazon and beyond.
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