Women's Major Group at UNEP

🌍 Event Announcement | WUF13 – Baku, Azerbaijan 🇦🇿 The Global South NGO Platform is pleased to invite participants of World Urban Forum 13 to an important panel discussion entitled: “Women on the Move: Environmental Drivers of Migration and Empowerment Pathways” 📍 Venue: Global South NGO Platform Pavilion, A37 📅 Date: May 17, 2026 🕦 Time: 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM This session will explore the growing connection between environmental challenges, migration, and the empowerment of women in vulnerable communities. The discussion will bring together international experts, policymakers, civil society representatives, and migration specialists to exchange perspectives and identify inclusive pathways toward resilience and sustainable development. Opening Remarks: • IOM Representative (TBC) • Fuad Karimli General-Secretary of Global South NGO Platform Moderator: • Nadima Rahimli Representative of Global South NGO Platform Secretariat, Deputy Chair of the Public Union “For Social Welfare of Citizens”, and Member of the Public Council under the State Migration Service Speakers: • Marie Therese Seif Regional Facilitator for MGS West Asia in UNEP, Chairman & Executive Director of Human Environmental Association for Development (HEAD) • Kamala Mammadli Head of INJURIA Legal Platform, Deputy Chair of the Public Council under the State Migration Service • Lincoln Teo Managing Director of ZERO13, a GMEX Group Company, Executive Director of IWise Group • Aygul Abbaszade Deputy Chief of the International Cooperation Department of the State Migration Service of the Republic of Azerbaijan The session aims to highlight women’s leadership, environmental resilience, and international cooperation in addressing migration challenges linked to climate and environmental change. #WUF13 #Baku #GlobalSouth #Migration #WomenEmpowerment ClimateAction EnvironmentalMigration UNEP CivilSociety GlobalSouthNGOPlatfor

💜🌍 At the First Conference for a Transition Beyond Fossil Fuels, we remind the world that the climate crisis is not neutral: it affects women and men differently, and disproportionately impacts women and girls. As the Women’s Major Group at the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP/Women), we raise our voices to ensure that the gender perspective is included in every step of the transition. The numbers are clear: women face greater risks to health, safety, and livelihoods, while their participation in decision-making remains limited. That is why we insist: there will be no just or sustainable transition unless equality and diverse realities are guaranteed. With commitment and hope, we continue building a future beyond fossil fuels rooted in equality and justice. #JustTransition #GenderPerspective

We invite you to join our virtual side event of the 70th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women focused on women environmental defenders and environmental justice. 🔗 Register here: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/nAoxUwwrR8aQt5Ow4SJOFA Women Defenders and Environmental Justice: Advancing Access to Justice through Principle 10, the Escazú Agreement, and Gender Action Plans 📅 March 16, 2026 🕛 12:00 PM (New York Time) 💻 Online – Zoom 🌎 Bilingual event: Spanish – English 🔗 Register here: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/nAoxUwwrR8aQt5Ow4SJOFA This event will bring together women environmental defenders, leaders, academics, and civil society organizations to discuss gender, environmental justice, and the protection of women defenders, with a special focus on experiences from Latin America and the Caribbean. Program Opening Remarks Irene Murillo – Public Representative for the Escazú Agreement Facilitator Carmen Capriles - Reacción Climática Panel Dr. Maureen Porter – University of Pittsburgh, USA Greyson Doster – Citizen Potawatomi Nation, University of Pittsburgh Olimpia Castillo – Comunicación y Educación Ambiental A.C. Cess Nkoyo – Olorgesailie Maasai Women Artisans (OMWA), Kenya Wildah Siro – Homeland Institute of Innovation Technology (HIIT), Kenya Closing Remarks Gianella Guillén – Derecho, Ambiente y Recursos Naturales (DAR) Organized by: International Convocation of Unitarian Universalist Women (ICUUW) Reacción Climática Escazú Now Regional Network

📢 CSW70 Side Event "Breaking the Silence: Barriers to Access to Justice for Women Environmental Rights Defenders" 📍 Consulate General of Brazil in New York 🗓 13 March | 12:00–13:30 (NY time) 🗣 Spanish with some interventions in Portuguese ⚠️ In-person event 🔗 Registration required: https://forms.gle/JVt5zvT2zCadhkeJ8 Organised by: Latin American and Caribbean Ecofeminist Network, CBD Women’s Caucus, and UNEP Women’s Major Group In collaboration with: UN Women, Government of Uruguay, Government of Brazil, Geledés, ACDH, MeSCALC, and the Network of Women Defenders of the Environment and Buen Vivir.

At the First Plenary of the ISP‑CWP in Geneva, we continue raising a clear message: gender justice must be at the core of the new global science‑policy panel on chemicals, waste and pollution. Each piece of this campaign highlights why this work matters: ✨ The Panel’s rules must guarantee meaningful gender inclusion. ✨ Women face higher exposure to hazardous chemicals through daily roles, occupations and unequal protections. ✨ Pollution and toxic chemicals disproportionately impact women’s health, from hormonal disruption to reproductive risks. ✨ We call for gender‑responsive Rules of Procedure and a work programme grounded in environmental justice and inclusive science. As the Women’s Major Group, we reaffirm: there is no effective science, no credible policy, and no sustainable future without gender equality.

The Women’s Major Group celebrates the election of the first Chair of the ISP‑CWP February 02 marks an important milestone in the launch of the Intergovernmental Science‑Policy Panel on Chemicals, Waste and Pollution (ISP‑CWP). Delegates elected Osvaldo Álvarez Pérez of Chile as the Panel’s first Chair, a key step that allows the Plenary to move forward with its institutional work. The Women’s Major Group warmly welcomes his election. Strong, transparent, and inclusive leadership will be essential as the Panel establishes its rules of procedure, governance structures, and scientific agenda. We appreciate the Chair’s early engagement with observers and civil society, and we look forward to continued collaboration to ensure that gender‑responsive, equitable, and science‑based approaches are embedded from the very beginning of the Panel’s work. This is a promising start for a body that will play a critical role in addressing global chemical pollution and protecting human health and the environment.

Kicking off the First Plenary of the ISP‑CWP in Geneva This week marks a historic moment as governments, scientists, and stakeholders gather in Geneva for the First Plenary of the Intergovernmental Science‑Policy Panel on Chemicals, Waste and Pollution (ISP‑CWP). The new Panel represents a major step forward in strengthening the global science‑policy interface on chemicals and pollution' issues that pose serious risks to health, ecosystems, and sustainable development. Over the coming days, delegates will work to establish the Panel’s governance, priorities, and scientific agenda, laying the foundation for evidence‑based global action. The Women’s Major Group is fully engaged in this process, advocating for gender‑responsive, inclusive, and transparent approaches as the Panel begins its work. Ensuring that women’s experiences, knowledge, and differentiated risks are reflected in scientific assessments and policy guidance is essential for building effective and equitable solutions. Looking forward to a productive week of collaboration, negotiation, and collective commitment to a healthier, safer, and more sustainable future.

On Sunday, the Secretariat joined us during the stakeholders’ meeting, where she presented the history, mandate, and core functions of the ISP‑CWP, including horizon scanning, assessments, information sharing, and capacity building key pillars that will guide the Panel’s work moving forward. We are grateful for this open dialogue and look forward to continuing to build spaces where women’s expertise, gender‑responsive science, and feminist leadership shape the future chemicals, waste, and pollution governance.

Representatives of the Women’s Major Group met with the ISP‑CWP Secretariat to continue strengthening women’s leadership and visibility within this new science‑policy space. We discussed the possibility of organizing a women’s assembly ahead of the next plenary, creating a dedicated moment for collective strategy, coordination, and shared priorities. We also explored the idea of hosting a women delegates lunch during the next session to deepen collaboration and ensure that gender perspectives remain centered throughout the process.

At the stakeholder Preparatory Meeting of the first ISP‑CWP plenary, the SPP Secretariat presented the origins of the Panel, adopted last year in Punta del Este, Uruguay, and outlined its core functions. The meeting opened with a first session moderated by Rabeb, where each stakeholder group shared updates on their recent work. On behalf of the Women’s Major Group, Natasa highlighted our latest capacity‑building session and the coordination meeting we held in January. She also invited all participants to join our Color Campaign and wear something yellow tomorrow in support of a toxic‑free future. In another segment facilitated by our co‑chair Dalia, stakeholders discussed the Rules and Procedures, with particular attention to Rules 22 and 23, which are central to ensuring transparency, participation, and accountability in the functioning of the Panel. As the WMG, we are here to ensure that gender justice, feminist knowledge, and frontline realities shape this new science‑policy architecture from day one.

Within the framework of #UNEA7, the Women’s Major Group held its first press conference, highlighting both progress and challenges in integrating a gender perspective into global environmental governance. 👩🏽‍🤝‍👩🏿 Voices such as Dalia Márquez, Co‑Chair of the Women’s Major Group, together with Rabeb Aloui and Sascha Gabizon, reminded us that since Resolution 4/17 (UNEA‑4, 2019), gender equality has been recognized in environmental policy. However, they warned about the worrying absence of references to gender and women’s rights in #UNEA7. 💡 In this context, we celebrate a historic milestone: the first Women’s Environment Assembly, a space that brought together women leaders and activists from around the world to strengthen collective action, amplify ecofeminist positions, and demand accountability on gender equality. 📢 “This Assembly marks a turning point. Women are not only participating, but leading the environmental agenda with justice, equity, and inclusion at its core,” affirmed Dalia Márquez. 🌱 Lena Estrada, former Minister of Environment of Colombia, also intervened, stressing that women are on the frontlines of the climate crisis and must be recognized and protected in their leadership. 💪 The Women’s Major Group reaffirms its commitment: to institutionalize the gender perspective within UNEP and UNEA, ensure women’s visibility, and advance toward truly inclusive environmental policies.

🥗✨Luncheon with Women Delegayes from Membes States ✨🥗 At this special lunch with women delegates from Member States, the two Co-Chairs of the Women’s Major Group @daliafmarqueza and @tessmgitau stood out for their openness and for clearly explaining the participatory methodology guiding our work. The gathering offered everyone a unique opportunity to engage in informal yet meaningful conversations on the essential priorities of the WMG. 🌍💬 This exchange of perspectives strengthened solidarity and ensured that women’s voices remain central in shaping the environmental agenda. 📌 Dialogue, openness, and collective vision. That is how we build stronger outcomes together.