26 September 2012: The UNFCCC Secretariat has announced receipt of a grant from the Rockefeller Foundation to launch an initiative highlighting the role of women in responding to climate change, called “Momentum for Change: Women for Results.”

The funding, for a three-year period, will support activities to inform governments, media and the public about climate change activities led by women. UNFCCC Executive Secretary Christiana Figueres expressed hope that presenting women’s active roles in this way will act as a catalyst to encourage others to take action.

UNFCCC Secretariat underscored that extreme weather events are predicted to have a disproportionate impacts on women, and that women relying on traditional biomass fuels are exposed to health threats. Rockefeller Foundation President Judith Rodin emphasized the need to build the resilience of the poorest and most vulnerable populations, especially women and girls.

The Secretariat announced that the initiative will be launched on 5 December 2012, at the 18th session of the Conference of Parties (COP 18) to the UNFCCC in Doha, Qatar. “Momentum for Change” is a public platform demonstrating the benefits of addressing climate change and transforming misconceptions. The current initiative on women follows on from an earlier effort highlighting public-private partnerships on climate change for the urban poor, launched at the Durban conference in 2011. [UNFCCC Press Release] [UNFCCC Webpage on Momentum for Change]