As COP29 begins, we are sounding the alarm over a troubling lack of political leadership and ambition from ALL the Parties, especially regarding the Enhanced Lima Work Programme and its Gender Action Plan. Despite years of effort, we see limited progress, and fractured trust among Parties, leaving gender-just climate action unfulfilled and marginalized.

In this pivotal moment, we urge the COP29 Presidency and all Parties to place gender justice not at the periphery but at the very core of the climate agenda. This is a call for transformational climate action. Gender equality agenda at UNFCCC should never be  a mere checkbox item; it is a substantial agenda that affects  the lived realities of over half of the global population. At this COP Parties decide on ambitious  and actionable goals to address the compounded effects of race, gender, class, and geography in the limited access and rights violations in a world ravaged by  climate crisis. Without the  intentional use of intersectionality approach, the global community will fail to dedicate required resources addressing unique needs of different groups in our communities, fading hope for true climate justice.

Demand  Feminist Climate Justice

As we look ahead to the next iteration of the Lima Work Programme on Gender, it’s crucial that the commitment spans at least 10 years with review after every five years. With clear indicators—both collective and disaggregated—we can track and report outcomes consistently. These indicators should be tied to specific timeframes, ensuring that no one is left behind, particularly those that are mostly impacted yet often marginalized in the climate policy processes. Importantly, the world is experiencing deeper injustices, with millions of lives directly impacted. It’s imperative that the gender work program anchor national level actions that are ambitious and align with the commitment to scale up technical and financial resources to deliver feminist climate Justice.

Rich countries, #PayUp the climate debt

Too often,critical  negotiations stagnate or reverse, ignoring the urgent needs of women, children and marginalized communities. Meanwhile, the Global North’s relentless pursuit of economic growth through fossil fuels and market mechanisms have enriched a few while plunging the Global South into debt, forced displacement, and climate chaos.

Wealthy nations have an obligation to cut their disproportionate emissions and repay their climate debt – a debt that is beyond measure, one that demands trillions, not billions. By any fair logic, the costs of climate action should be the burden of those most harmed and least responsible.

This is why COP29 must close by scaling up both the quantity and quality of climate finance, anchored in public finance that follows principles of equity and Common but Differentiated Responsibilities and Respective Capabilities. This means grant-based and direct access that reaches those most impacted.

No climate justice, without human rights

As feminists, we come here to challenge the narrative of scarcity in which the North has been hiding for so many years. A narrative of “scarce resources to put on the table” while the reality shows the contrary. The time has come to divest from militarism and fossil fuels, redirecting these vast funds toward a feminist just transition that prioritizes climate action over warfare and genocides.

True climate justice requires that we rethink our global expenditures putting a halt to arms sales and fossil fuels subsidies that exacerbate conflict and environmental degradation. The proposed truce during COP29 may offer temporary relief yet it fails to make a bolder call to dismantle the deeper systemic forces that link militarism to climate injustice, especially for marginalized communities, Indigenous Peoples, and Afrodescendant populations.

We reject the silence of multilateral processes on the genocides in Palestine, Lebanon, Sudan, Congo, and beyond, where the profits of militarism overshadow liberation and justice. We stand in unwavering solidarity with oppressed communities worldwide, unified in the pursuit of freedom, dignity, and self-determination.

Join our Fights

As feminists and climate activists, we invite you to stand with us. Follow our work, join the conversation, amplify the demands for a gender-just, equitable climate future And engage our thematic leads and spokesperson. Together, we can drive change, shift narratives, and protect the rights of the most vulnerable.

Stay updated on our journey through COP29 and beyond. Check hereto find  our key demands for COP29 and connect with us on social media using #FeministClimateJustice, and follow our updates at @WGC_Climate.

View and Download WGC COP29 Demands