6 December 2012: The UNFCCC Secretariat and the Rockefeller Foundation launched a new initiative, titled “Momentum for Change: Women for Results,” on the sidelines of the 18th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 18) to the UNFCCC in Doha, Qatar. The Initiative aims to showcase the role of women in climate change adaptation and mitigation activities.

Christiana Figueres, UNFCCC Executive Secretary, recognized the power of women to make a difference and recommended ensuring women’s leadership to bring about solutions. Figueres said women are at the nexus between water, food and energy, a nexus that represents “both the challenge and solution to climate change.” Heather Grady, the Rockefeller Foundation, described women as “crucial agents of change.” Noting the role of women in food production, Grady called for the inclusion of women in food security decisions. Other launch attendees included Helen Clark, UN Development Programme (UNDP) Administrator, Mary Robinson, President of the Mary Robinson Foundation for Climate Justice, and ministers Terezya Huvisa from Tanzania and Mariyam Shakeela from Maldives.

The UNFCCC Secretariat will feature selected Initiative activities at COP 19 in Poland in 2013. The Initiative constitutes a new pillar under the “Momentum for Change” Initiative that aims to raise awareness about adaptation and mitigation actions by a range of actors at all levels to change misperceptions about action on climate change and to encourage businesses, civil society and businesses to take action to combat climate change. [UNFCCC Press Release] [Momentum for Change Website]