At CoP27 in Sharm-El-Sheikh, 41 women’s organizations from Asia, Africa, and Latin America launched a new advocacy network called the Women in Global South Alliance for Tenure and Climate, which is an alliance of women’s organizations, groups, and associations in the global South working to scale-up direct climate finance for Indigenous, Afro-descendant, and local community women and girls.
Background
The historic US$1.7 billion Pledge made at the UNFCCC CoP26 in Glasgow by governments and donors in support of Indigenous Peoples and local communities’ collective and territorial rights was a step in the right direction. However, if this pledge intends to repair the historical gap in direct funding awarded to Indigenous Peoples and local communities, it must also address the rights of Indigenous, Afro-descendent, and local community women and girls whose direct access to funding has been severely limited.
At CoP26, governments across the world also committed funding to ensure gender equality. Canada, the UK, and the USA have cumulatively committed over US$7 billion to target investments broadly at the intersection of gender and climate actions, but it is imperative that this climate finance fully reaches the Indigenous, Afro-descendant, and local community women and girls on the frontlines of climate action and who are playing a key role protecting and restoring our landscapes.
Now, the Women in Global South Alliance for Tenure and Climate is calling on governments, donors, and their partners to recognize, support, and directly fund Indigenous, Afro-descendant, and local women’s groups, organizations, associations, and collectives in the global South who have been historically under-supported and under-funded. Climate finance must not render invisible the invaluable roles that Indigenous, Afro-descendant, and local community women and girls play, particularly their contributions to climate action, preserving traditional knowledge and livelihoods, strengthening gender justice, and supporting human and tenure rights movements. Climate finance must not leave Indigenous, Afro-descendant, and local community women and girls behind!
Resources
- Descriptions of all 41 grassroots organizations, groups, and associations in the Alliance (coming soon)
- Our Call to Action in English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Bahasa Indonesia, or Hindi
- Press Release in English, French or Spanish
For more information on the Women in Global South Alliance, contact Omaira Bolaños.