United Nations Commission on the Status of Women 66 – Official Side Event
Hosted by the Kingdom of the Netherlands
Date & Time: 15 March, 10:00 – 11:00 am EDT / 15.00 – 16.00 CET
Where: online

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Co-organized by:

• Atria
• Jonge Klimaatbeweging
• WECF
• WO=MEN Dutch Gender Platform
• Nederlandse Vrouwen Raad (NVR)

Introduction

CSW66, with its priority theme of achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls in the context of climate change, environmental and disaster risk reduction policies and programmes, can make a crucial difference in the international recognition and support of women and youth in all their diversity, who are already leading the fight against the climate and environmental crisis.

In order to successfully fight the climate and environmental crisis, we must center the experiences and solutions of those on the front lines of these crises. Feminist and youth movements from around the world have been mobilizing for climate action and leading climate solutions. Too often, their solutions are not heard in relevant decision-making spaces, due to existing inequalities and structural barriers. In this side-event, feminist and youth-led solutions will be front and center. Their solutions address the needs of young people and future generations, centre human rights and the needs of local communities and their members.

Key issues

• Impact of climate change and climate policies on gender equality in the Netherlands
• Inspiring stories of climate action from feminists and youth from around the world
• Importance of governmental & private sector support & collaboration for youth-centred & feminist climate and environmental action

Session objectives

1. Provide inspiring examples of climate solutions from around the world that put gender equality and youth at their core, from projects on the ground to policies implemented by governments
2. Create awareness and a sense of urgency of gender-just climate action and leadership among citizens and decision-makers
3. Exchange of knowledge, experiences, and lessons learned on gender transformative climate action and policies, between youth and feminist grassroots organizations, governments and institutions
4. Take away message: in order to achieve inclusive climate action we/decision makers need to operate within youth and gender-just frameworks. This starts with a new take on climate leadership, the inclusion of more youths and people (women) on the frontlines of the effects of climate change.

Speakers

• Robbert Dijkgraaf, Minister of Education, Culture and Science (OCW), The Netherlands (TBC)
• Enaam Ahmed Ali, UN Women’s representative 2022 for the Netherlands
• Lilian Gregorio, Fundación Plurales, one of WECF’s Gender-Just Climate Solutions Award winners, Spanish speaker
• Esin Erdogan, Jonge Klimaatbeweging (JKB), National Youth Climate Movement

Moderated by: Sanne Van de Voort, WECF, NGO Representative on the Dutch Delegation to CSW66

Speakers biographies

Enaam Ahmed Ali

Enaam Ahmed Ali is UN Women representative 2022, development economist and works within a Food & Agriculture focused bank where she worked on increasing access to finance for small farmers in emerging markets, especially women and is now working on its sustainability strategy. Moreover, she is board member of UN Women NL, Women’s March NL and member of SPEAK, Muslim women collective.

Lilian Gregorio

Lilian Gregorio is Project Director Gender Justice at Fundación Plurales, of their Environmental Defenders Program (Argentina). Fundación Plurales has been working since 2001 to promote local and regional development, strengthening networks of rural and indigenous women of the American Chaco, carrying out projects for access to safe water, bringing technologies and knowledge for social inclusion and facilitating dialogues as a means of advocacy in the public sphere.

Esin Erdogan

Esin Erdogan is an active member of the Jonge Klimaatbeweging, National Youth Climate Movement. As a member of the Public Affairs team, she has contributed to campaigns calling for youth representation in Dutch climate policies, such as the Climate Authority campaign. Since 2021, she put ecofeminism on the agenda in her organization, and has supported the Dutch governmental Delegation to the CSW representing members of her organization.

Sanne Van de Voort (moderator)

Sanne Van de Voort is a passionate young ecofeminist, and this year she is the NGO-representative on the Dutch delegation to the CSW. She works as Advocacy Officer at Women Engage for a Common Future (WECF). She has experience in multiple UN processes related to gender equality, climate and environment, such as climate summits (COPs), the UN Environmental Assembly, the Generation Equality Forums and the Commission on the Status of Women.

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