GWL Voices at COP30: Women Leading Finance and Climate Action
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This November, GWL Voices will be on the ground at COP30 in Belém, Brazil — championing women’s leadership and gender-responsive climate action at one of the most critical climate moments of the decade. Marking the 10th anniversary of the Paris Agreement, COP30 must move from commitments to implementation — and implementation must deliver for women and girls, or it will be incomplete and ineffective.
As inequalities widen and climate impacts intensify, women — especially those facing multiple forms of discrimination — continue to be disproportionately affected, underfunded, and underrepresented in decision-making. GWL Voices is working to change this.
GWL Voices’ Policy Leadership: 4 Key Asks for COP30
In the lead-up to COP30, we are calling for urgent action through GWL Voices’ 4 Key Asks for COP30, demanding a climate process that centers women’s rights, realities, and leadership:
- NDCs that respond to women’s realities
- A Gender-Responsive Baku to Belém Roadmap to 1.3
- An action-oriented, rights-based and well-funded Gender Action Plan
- COP Reform for Delivery
Tracking Commitments, Centering Leadership: A Spotlight on Women Transforming Climate Action
GWL Voices is closely monitoring how countries are integrating gender equality into their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) — and what that means for women and girls on the frontlines of climate change. As updated NDCs are submitted ahead of COP30, our analysis shows that gender-responsive action is still far from reaching its full potential. Empowering women and girls must be a driving force in NDC 3.0 — not an afterthought.
During COP30, we will also be sharing a first look at our upcoming GWL Voices Spotlight on Women in Climate and Environmental Governance, which highlights the critical leadership of women driving climate solutions worldwide.
GWL Voices in the field during COP30
Throughout COP30, GWL Voices will be actively contributing to key discussions, promoting its initiative Women in Politics, and co-hosting strategic side events. One of these is a joint SDG Pavilion event with the Igarapé Institute and Club de Madrid — “Aligning Ambitions from FfD4 to COP30: Financing a Fair, Equitable and Inclusive Future.”
This conversation aims to bridge major global processes — from FfD4 to COP30, G20 South Africa, the Pact for the Future, WSSD2, and the 2030 Agenda — with a focus on closing financing gaps for gender-responsive and nature-positive transitions.
Our presence on the ground will be led by prominent GWL Voices members, including Dr. Flavia Bustreo, former WHO Assistant Director-General. In addition, ahead of COP30, Ms. María Fernanda Espinosa, GWL Voices Executive Director and former UN General Assembly President, will also participate in the Local Leaders Dialogue on Climate Justice, carrying a powerful message: women’s leadership is essential to transforming climate ambition into climate action.