Over 130 women leaders gathered in New York to demonstrate their commitment to ambitious and gender sensitive climate action.
Travelling from 54 nations, and urging concrete action, women leaders representing grassroots and indigenous, young women and academics sat down with former Heads of State and Government, policy makers, heads of civil society, international and private sector organisations to discuss robust climate action that is good for people and good for the planet.
“I do believe that climate has to be an issue that women and young people and the very poorest have their voices heard,” Mary Robinson told the UN News Centre.
Mrs Robinson has said that climate change is not just an issue of atmospheric science but of human rights and fundamental justice.
“I want us to think about the injustice of how climate is affecting those who are least responsible. And affecting them severely, reversing some of their development,” she noted.
“We need to make a special effort to focus more on adaptation but also on the future we want – which is a future that has renewable energy, zero carbon emissions, and better health, better light, better energy, better job prospects for everybody.”
The key messages from 12 learning circles were captured in the videos (see below) recorded by:
- Graça Machel, member of The Elders
- Julia Gillard, former Prime Minister of Australia
- Tarja Halonen, former President of Finland
- Joyce Banda, former President of Malawi
- Aminata Touré, former Prime Minister of Senegal
- Camilla Toulmin, Director International Institute for Environment and Development
- Sharan Burrow, General Secretary International Trade Union Congress
- Lakshmi Puri, Assistant Secretary General UN Women
- Laurence Tubiana, Special Representative of the French Minister for Foreign Affairs COP21
- Irene Khan Director-General International Development Law Organization (IDLO)
- Gréta Gunnarsdóttir Permanent Representative of Iceland to the UN
- Mary Robinson President of the Mary Robinson Foundation – Climate Justice
Videos
Photos
Related
Hope and Justice from the People’s Climate March – Blog by Mary Robinson
Mary Robinson talks Climate Change Plans – ahead of the UN summit on climate change, Mary Robinson talks to Independent.ie about what she wants to achieve from the event.
New York Climate March: Mary Robinson and Gro Harlem Brundtland
Raising Ambition for Climate Action, Women Lead the Way – September 18, 2014