It was agreed in principle to launch a Network. Four Working Groups were proposed and populated by volunteers. These would be tasked with fleshing out the details of mission, values, strategy, funding, operations and governance. Suggestions from these will be developed over the next planning period. The current Steering Group agreed to submit a plan of action to the group. Meanwhile, two specific sets of initiatives were enthusiastically agreed.
Story telling, mapping skills and communicating
The Story Telling Working Group committed to develop a Series, entitled “From Despair to Hope: Radical Collaboration For Climate Change” to be written by the women and men who undertake the work itself. The stories will share common parameters, or criteria, which would enable comparative wisdom while highlighting the specific contexts and efforts. Each story will note the goal of the initiative, contrast this with the existing realities/challenges; spell out the drama, emotion or conflict at hand; emphasize what was “radically collaborative” as well as the tangible take-away(s) and the moral message; clearly include the writer her/himself’s own reality, and end with both a call to action and a note of hope. Shorter or abbreviated versions targeted to diverse media (traditional and social), would also be written, with a view to ensuring answers to three questions: Why now? Why you? And, what is unique about this story?
The initial set of stories will have the following titles and/or themes:
- From despair to hope through faith and legal action (global)
- Throwing out the Waster and Gaining Mother Earth in Indonesia
- Women on the Frontlines of combatting climate change in Bangladesh
- The Blessings of Rain: How Women-led Radical Collaboration saved the lungs of Honduras, and
- Lady of Justice and the Ladies of the Adivasis Indigenous People of Sri Lanka
There was also consensus among participants that the stories will provide living resources, so to speak, to a mapping of the respective and collective strengths of the Network members. The mapping itself was agreed to be a necessary tool to create, populate and regularly update. In turn, this led to an affirmation of the need to create an online portal which would serve to house these respective assets, as well as provide opportunities for collating and sharing information and communicating and coordinating joint events (per the following points).
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“Let’s not wait for COP to roll around every year – let’s make sure we are making the linkages with one another to discuss climate justice issues”
Greening
The Greening Environment Working group committed to the following priorities for cooperation:
Solar energy: Brahma Kumaris, a major producer of solar energy and the Self-Employed Women’s Association (SEWA), who are providing solar power to women farmers and informal workers, agreed to explore possible synergies in India.
Tree Planting: EcoSikh has committed to plant 10 million trees. SEWA, Brahma Kumaris and EcoSikh agreed to explore joint collaboration (also in India).
Greening of Houses of Worship. Interfaith Power and Light (IFPL), ADHAMA, and 22 UK mosques discussed engaging with Eco Sikh to explore tree planting at houses of worship. IFPL further expressed an interest in advancing partnerships towards greening houses of worship overseas, in conjunction with others.
Joint advocacy
As noted earlier (see page 8), 2025 is a year of significant relevant alignments. A number of advocacy-related priority actions were agreed, including the following:
- Jointly exploring the presence of the Network, through its rich array of members, at key 2025 events and meetings, as alerted and advised.
- As of the writing of this Report, ongoing information sharing is already taking place at the COP 29, with a view to continuing and strengthening targeted advocacy at COP 30.
- Supporting the work of Faith for our Planet (FFOP)’s February meeting in Brussels, with the European Union, on the role of women of faith in Climate Action.
- Prevailing upon the governmental co-hosts of this meeting, to co-sponsor a Network convening at the March 2025 United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (UN CSW). The 2025 CSW (the 69th) will be a review of thirty years of the seminal Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, and it was thus deemed timely to showcase this unique women-led Network’s presence, vision, and commitments, alongside governmental and civil society women’s rights advocates.
- Engaging with the Laudato Si movement’s tenth anniversary activities and initiatives.
- Coordinating initiatives around the review of the Paris Agreement’s tenth anniversary.
- Securing presence and sharing relevant joint analysis at the multiple summits related to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in 2025, including the Second World Summit for Social Development and the World Sustainable Development Summit.