At international climate conference COP25, in Madrid, Spain, Canada’s Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Jonathan Wilkinson, met with francophone women climate negotiators from Africa. Canada funded the participation of seven of these negotiators at COP25 so their perspectives on climate change can be brought to negotiation tables.
The United Nations (UN) Climate Change Conference COP 25, which was held December 2 to 13, 2019, provided several forums for international leaders to take the next key steps in the UN climate change action process.
“It was a great pleasure to meet outstanding francophone women negotiators,” said Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Environment and Climate Change. “Canada is pleased to support women’s climate action and participation in climate-related planning and policymaking, which are critical for successful global climate action, including achieving the objectives of the Paris Agreement.”
Canada helped train these representatives for their participation at COP25 as a part of its commitment from the Canada-France Climate and Environment Partnership announced by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and French President Emmanuel Macron, in April 2018. The program aims to train francophone women climate negotiators from Africa and support their meaningful participation at COP. Their participation at COP25 helps ensure that the voices of women from developing countries are represented around the climate change negotiation table.
Minister of Environment and Climate Change Jonathan Wilkinson
meets with francophone women climate negotiators from Africa.
Photo courtesy of Ministry.
A series of workshops are being held in affiliation with the Canada-France Climate and Environment Partnership. In October 2018, Canada and France held a first workshop in Dakar, Senegal, for 23 francophone women climate negotiators from the sub-Saharan African region. In October 2019, Canada supported a second workshop for francophone women climate negotiators, in Kigali, Rwanda. A total of 24 francophone women climate negotiators from 16 countries of sub-Saharan Africa gathered in Kigali to learn skills for participating in international climate negotiations, which they are putting into action at COP25.
For further information on COP25, click here.
Featured image from COP25.
