Dear Community,

From September 20 - 27, WECAN was in New York City for Climate Week and the UN General Assembly, calling for climate justice, democracy, Just Transition, Rights of Nature, and women-led solutions for people and the planet! 

As part of our advocacy efforts in New York, WECAN engaged in collaborative and impactful activities, including:

• Hosting and co-hosting events to amplify the climate solutions of women in all their diversity worldwide
• Releasing the WECAN Report, "Gendered and Racial Impacts of the Fossil Fuel Industry in North America and Complicit Financial Institutions" 
• Delivering to policymakers WECAN’s recommendations for integrating climate justice principles into countries’ NDCs ahead of COP30
• Marching with over 25,000 people to hold billionaires and polluters accountable
• Engaging in strategy sessions with frontline leaders and colleagues in preparation for COP30
• Accelerating the movement to implement Rights of Nature and Indigenous rights globally
• Strategizing for the next phase of the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty
• Building momentum for compelling climate narratives and communications
• Confronting false solutions and market-based mechanisms
• Contributing to the collective movement for climate justice and a Just Transition

Throughout our time at Climate Week, we recognized the deep need to continue advocating for climate justice frameworks and analyses. As the climate crisis worsens, governments and businesses continue to delay real action by promoting greenwashing mechanisms and business-as-usual market-based approaches. 

We stand firm in stating that there is no addressing the climate crisis without cutting emissions at the source and taking on extractive economic policies. We cannot buy and sell our way out of this crisis. We need transformative systemic change and renewed paradigms of action grounded in community-led solutions, Indigenous and human rights, gender equity, racial and economic justice, and Rights of Nature. In this vein, it is evident from global studies that women are crucial in ushering in successful strategies that not only address the climate crisis but also call for systemic change and resilience to tackle and transform the root causes of climate change — including colonialism, racism, and patriarchy. 

Whether it’s on the frontlines of resistance to fossil fuels, protecting and replanting forests, creating food sovereignty networks, or advocating for bold and transformative climate policies at international forums — women are leading the way!

As we prepare for COP30 in Belem, Brazil, we must hold governments and financial institutions accountable and push for justice and safety for communities globally. We will not back down or modify our theory of change to fit the market models of extraction and exploitation. The world we are building will be defined by justice, care, and reciprocity with all living beings.

Please read on for a more detailed report back from WECAN’s advocacy at Climate Week. We also want to extend our deepest condolences to the family, loved ones, and colleagues at Indigenous Environmental Network (IEN), who shared the passing of water protector and movement organizer Simone Senogles; an excerpt from her obituary is available below. 

To our community, thank you for being in this movement with us to transform and create a healthy and just world for communities and Nature. We are holding close to heart the many amazing and vital leaders who are taking action for the world we need and deserve. 

On September 24, WECAN hosted our climate week event, “Women in Action for Climate Justice and a Just Transition: Path to COP30 and Beyond.” 

During the event, we heard from powerful speakers on the transformative change needed to address the climate crisis, including climate reparations, Indigenous Just Transitions, implementing the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty, advocating for gender-responsive climate politics, ensuring Indigenous and human rights across all projects, protecting forests, and much more.

WECAN staff members also shared a presentation on WECAN’s projects, programs, and campaigns, including WECAN’s advocacy priorities for the upcoming COP30. 

"What is happening in the Amazon right now is happening to my territory, but also the territory of New York as well, because we are all interconnected as human beings, but also as the daughters and the sons of Mother Earth, so our actions really create impacts."

Taily Terena (Terena Nation), Indigenous Rights and Climate Activist, 2025 Global Citizen Prize Winner, and WECAN COP30 Delegate

Throughout the evening, we were reminded by the panelists that right now, every action matters, and together, we can create the collective and bold change needed to ensure a thriving and just future.

Many thanks to the amazing speakers:

• Thilmeeza Hussain, Director, United Nations Regional Commissions New York Office, Maldives/USA
• Eriel Tchekwie Deranger (Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation), 2024 Climate Breakthrough Award Winner, Turtle Island/Canada
• Bridget Burns, Executive Director, Women's Environment and Development Organization (WEDO), Turtle Island/USA
• Tzeporah Berman, Chair, Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty, Canada
• Colette Pichon-Battle, Vision and Initiatives Partner, Taproot Earth, Lawyer and Climate Justice Activist, Turtle Island/USA
• Jozileia Kaingang (Kaingang), Executive Director, National Articulation of Indigenous Women Warriors of Ancestrality (ANMIGA), Brazil
• Taily Terena (Terena Nation), Indigenous Rights and Climate Activist, 2025 Global Citizen Prize Winner, Brazil
• Casey Camp-Horinek (Ponca Nation), Ponca Nation Environmental Ambassador, WECAN Board Member and Project Coordinator, Turtle Island/USA
• Moderation and comments by Osprey Orielle Lake, Founder and Executive Director of Women’s Earth and Climate Action Network (WECAN), Turtle Island/USA

The Gendered and Racial Impacts of the Fossil Fuel Industry in North America and Complicit Financial Institutions

"We have to get back to the original reason we started this fight to stop fossil fuel expansion, and it is for people. Who are we saving this world for? If we aren't caring for the people, if we aren't making sure that the people have what they need, who's going to be left in that community to care for it? People are dying every day from fossil fuel pollution. Community members are constantly dying while folks are sitting in offices making decisions about that community. Women are at the brunt end of these deadly decisions.”

Roishetta Ozane

Founder, The Vessel Project

WECAN released the fifth edition of “The Gendered and Racial Impacts of the Fossil Fuel Industry in North America and Complicit Financial Institutions.” From increased cancer rates to higher risks of adverse maternal health outcomes and likelihood for depression, the report details the significant and deadly harms of fossil fuel pollution and infrastructure on women in frontline communities. 

The report investigates the role major financial institutions play in perpetuating negative gender and racial health and safety impacts through their support of fossil fuel companies and projects. Financial institutions cannot uphold their climate-related commitments while simultaneously supporting companies whose operations disproportionately harm women and communities of color, threaten human and Indigenous rights, and further the climate crisis.

From the LNG buildout in the Gulf South to the proposed Line 5 projects in the Great Lakes, the fossil fuel era and expansion of financing for it must end. 

Delivering WECAN Climate Justice NDC Recommendations Ahead of COP30

In the lead up to COP30, the host country of Brazil and the UN Secretary General, António Guterres, urged governments to deliver on the next round of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), which were originally due in February 2025. NDCs are an element of the Paris Climate Agreement that require countries to submit actionable plans for reducing emissions and tackling the climate crisis. These NDCs will shape climate policies through 2035, a pivotal decade that will determine whether we stay below the long-term 1.5°C threshold. 

To advocate for meaningful and robust NDCs, WECAN developed a set of recommendations and guidance to support countries in strengthening their climate commitments by integrating climate justice principles to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement and avert the most severe consequences of the climate crisis. Learn more about WECAN's recommendations here.

During Climate Week, WECAN had the opportunity to deliver our NDC climate justice policy brief to government representatives and policymakers, including Laurence Tubiana (pictured above), CEO of the European Climate Foundation and Special Envoy to Europe for COP30.

As we make our way to COP30, we will continue pushing governments to take urgent action and address the harms of the climate crisis by strengthening, enhancing, and rapidly implementing their NDCs and climate commitments. 

During Climate Week, WECAN, along with partners, co-organized and spoke at several events advocating for the Rights of Nature, which is now one of the fastest growing environmental movements in the world. 

The movement for the Rights of Nature seeks to implement legal frameworks and policies that ensure Nature’s inherent rights to thrive. Already around the globe, cases have been won protecting ecosystems and communities, garnering international recognition of this climate solution. WECAN is honored to sit on the Executive Committee for the Global Alliance for the Rights of Nature (GARN), which was also in New York for Climate Week. 

On Tuesday, September 23, WECAN participated in several events, where Casey Camp-Horinek (Ponca Nation), WECAN Board Member and Chair of the Indigenous Council of GARN, and Osprey Orielle Lake, WECAN Executive Director and Executive Committee member of GARN spoke about the importance of the Rights of Nature and how to support its implementation at the local, national, and international level. 

At the end of the day, we joined partners at GARN, Movement Rights, Para La Naturaleza, Seven Directions of Service, and others, for the “International Rights of Nature Tribunal: Defending Earth, People and Climate against Fossil Fuels”, hosted by the Global Alliance for the Rights of Nature (GARN). Speakers discussed the first Indigenous Rights of Nature Tribunal, which took place earlier this year, and also shared updates on the global advocacy taking place ahead of COP30. 

On November 11, GARN will host the International Rights of Nature Tribunal: A New Pledge For Mother Nature, which will take place in Belem, Brazil. To learn more about the tribunal, please visit the website here. We are ready to further advance the Rights of Nature at COP30 in Brazil!

At the beginning of Climate Week, Colombia announced its plan to host the First International Conference for the Phase-Out of Fossil Fuels in April 2026. The 17 participating countries that have endorsed a Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty have agreed to pursue the convening of a conference bringing together diverse stakeholders to chart a fair and equitable path beyond coal, oil, and gas.

Learn more about this historic global moment from Tzeporah Berman, Chair of the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty, at Climate Week in New York City. 

WECAN serves on the Fossil Fuel Treaty Steering Committee and participated in several strategy sessions in New York on the next steps for the conference and advocacy in North America. Building on the success of previous diplomatic summits that have led to increased international cooperation and treaty negotiations to address major global threats, the conference aims to facilitate a planned, just, and sustainable phase-out of fossil fuels.

At COP30, we look forward to supporting the Fossil Fuel Treaty in WECAN’s policy advocacy.

Indigenous women leaders from Brazil were in New York at Climate Week to share their goals, visions, and actions for COP30 and beyond.

ANMIGA (the National Articulation of Indigenous Women Warriors of Ancestry) hosted a strategic dialogue with Indigenous leaders, partners, and political allies. The gathering offered bridges between ancestral tradition and climate diplomacy to continue building and strengthening global alliances and Indigenous engagement at COP30. 

WECAN is honored to be in partnership with ANMIGA and many of its co-founders for the past several years, with whom we have been working to uplift and ensure Indigenous women’s participation in global forums and collaborating on strategic projects and advocacy efforts. 

On the left, Secretary Puyr Tembé (Tembé), First Secretary of State for Indigenous Peoples of Pará in the Brazilian Amazon. On the right, Concita Sõpré, Co-founder of the Federation of Indigenous Peoples of the State of Pará (FEPIPA). Both are co-founders of the National Articulation of Indigenous Women's Warriors of Ancestry (ANMIGA), and spoke at ANMIGA's Climate Week event. Photo Credit: WECAN

ANMIGA is a coalition of Indigenous women from all biomes in Brazil, with knowledge, traditions, and struggles that come together and converge, uniting and mobilizing women for the guarantee of rights and the lives of Indigenous peoples. 

As we prepare for the UN climate negotiations this year, we know it is imperative to support and follow the leadership of Indigenous women who have been protecting the Amazon rainforest and connected biomes for generations! Please follow ANMIGA online to stay connected.

On Saturday, September 20, WECAN marched in the Make Billionaires Pay March in New York City. We raised our voices and stood with frontline communities to say we must address the root causes of our intertwined social, economic, and climate crises, and build a healthy and equitable future for communities and all living beings.

Authoritarian regimes are on the rise globally and ecosystems, Indigenous rights, human rights, gender justice, racial justice, and democracy are under attack. With allies around the world, we are drawing a line, and calling for robust climate action on the path to COP30 and beyond. Our communities cannot wait, we need climate justice now!

A critical part of our work at Climate Week is engaging with partners, government officials, policymakers, media specialists, and many others to build and foster ongoing advocacy for our planet. Please see below a few more photo highlights from our time at Climate Week. 

A full photo album of WECAN advocacy and events

at Climate Week is available here!

Kicking off Climate Week, WECAN participated in the UNFCCC High-Level Champions release of the Global Study on Indigenous Peoples’ Climate Contributions 2025, where we were able to connect with leaders of this effort including Sônia Guajajara, Minister of Indigenous Peoples of Brazil, Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim, Coordinator of Indigenous Women and Peoples Association of Chad, and H.E. Razan Mubarak, COP28 High-Level Champion, all featured in the photo above.

Throughout Climate Week, WECAN met with several partners to discuss the importance of uplifting women's leadership in the climate movement. On the left, Andrea Cuji Mancilla (Kichwa), Kichwa Native Peoples of Sarayaku Secretary, met with Osprey Orielle Lake, WECAN Executive Director. Andrea is a participant in the WECAN Indigenous Women of the Ecuadorian Amazon Reforestation and Forest Protection Project located in the Sarayaku community of Ecuador. On the right, Pat Mitchell, Co-Founder of Project Dandelion, Mary Robinson, Member of the Elders and Former President of Ireland, and Osprey Orielle Lake, WECAN Executive Director.

At the annual Global Citizen Festival, which closes out Climate Week in New York City, Indigenous women leaders took the stage to share their advocacy and solutions. From left to right, speakers included Xiye Bastida (Otomi-Toltec), Co-Founder and Executive Director of the Re-Earth Initiative; Secretary Puyr Tembé (Tembé), First Secretary of State for Indigenous Peoples of Pará in the Brazilian Amazon; and Taily Terena (Terena Nation), Indigenous Rights and Climate Activist, 2025 Global Citizen Prize Winner from Brazil.

We are very honored that these three amazing leaders are participants in WECAN's Frontline and Indigenous Women's Delegation to COP30 in Brazil. Please stay tuned for more information about WECAN's upcoming advocacy at COP30!

Earlier this September, the US Department of Agriculture, which oversees the Forest Service, held a public comment period on its decision to repeal the Roadless Rule, a critical safeguard for national forests across the United States.

For the past several weeks, along with other allied organizations, WECAN has been intensely reaching out to invite our network to submit a comment to protect forests and the Roadless Rule.

In an analysis conducted on the morning of September 19, the final day of the public comment period, the Center for Western Priorities found that over 99 percent of the 183,000 individual comments submitted to regulations.gov opposed the plan to repeal the 2001 Roadless Rule.

In 2001, the National Roadless Rule, adopted by the United States Forest Service, implemented sweeping environmental protections across national forests, including the Tongass National Forest in Alaska, virtually preventing old-growth logging, roadbuilding, and coal, gas, oil, and other mineral leasing. The order to rescind the Roadless Rule is the latest attempt to roll back these successful protections. In total, the rescission of the Roadless Rule would open up nearly 45 million acres of essential forests, including the Tongass, to vast destruction.

At a time of accelerating climate impacts, protecting forests is a successful strategy for mitigating the worst impacts of the climate crisis while supporting Indigenous and local communities and livelihoods throughout the United States.

For over 7 years, WECAN has worked with Indigenous women leaders in Alaska to protect the Tongass Forest. When the first Trump Administration sought to repeal the Roadless Rule, WECAN, alongside Indigenous leaders, local communities, businesses, and environmental groups, fought back, ultimately succeeding in restoring the Roadless Rule protections in 2023. We are here to do it again!

On September 22, the Indigenous Environmental Network (IEN) shared heartbreaking news of the passing of Simon Senogles. Please see an excerpt from the announcement and obituary below:

Simone Margaret Senogles, whose names are “Chinoodinikwe” and “Miskomakwakwe”, 54, of Bemidji, MN died Saturday, September 20, 2025 at her home.

IEN Director of Operations and Indigenous Feminisms Lead from the Red Lake Anishinaabe. A founder of MMIW218, Simone reminded everyone that violence against the land is deeply connected to violence against our bodies and she stood boldly to protect both.

Her impact was as personal as it was global. To her loved ones she was a steadfast source of comfort, always ready to listen, offer support, and be a safe place in times of hardship. To her colleagues she was a stalwart strategist and dedicated organizer. To her community she was a steady presence, a protector, and a leader who demonstrated the critical importance of showing up when your people need you.

Simone's family asks that those who loved her honor her memory by carrying forward the work she championed: Protecting the Mother Earth, Defending Indigenous Rights, and nurturing community above all else.

Please read the full obituary here, where those who knew her are welcome to share a message on the tribute wall. Our hearts and thoughts are with her family, loved ones, and dear colleagues at IEN and beyond.

Please consider supporting WECAN as we continue to uplift the leadership and solutions of women worldwide fighting for climate justice and the defense of the planet for current and future generations.