One year ago, on 15 October 2018, the Department of Rural Development, Environment and Local Administration of the Government of Navarre, Spain, in collaboration with the Navarre Parliament organised the working session “Politics, Women and Climate Change” as part of the Women’s Workshop on Climate Change. The purpose of the session was to highlight and promote the role of women in the area of action on climate change at different levels: as direct & active agents in the mitigation of its causes; in adapting to the consequences of it; and in the solution of the problems that its effects bring. The outcome of the working session was the Active Against Climate Change Declaration, which to date has more than 235 signatories and which lay the foundation for the creation of the Network of Women Active for Climate (“Activas por el Clima”).

The need for a declaration and the associated network arose because the effects of climate change, as well as the responses to it are different for men and women. Therefore, the Government of Navarre decided to develop a set of recommendations and commitments laid out in the mentioned declaration, guided by the Climate Change Roadmap of Navarre and in line with international treaties and agreements on climate change. The aim of these efforts is to promote the development of integrated and interconnected policies and frameworks for mitigation and adaptation to climate change from a transversal perspective, strengthening the role of women in the vertical and horizontal integration of these actions and policies, recognising how they affect each other, and their development from different fields of action.

In this sense, Women Active for Climate was established as a network of contacts for the dissemination of information and events that highlight the activities of women working in climate change in its broadest sense. It pursues the following objectives:

  1. Revalue the role of women, their voice and their abilities in terms of fighting against climate change.
  2. Acquire knowledge and sensitivity about climate change issues and their risks considering a gender perspective.
  3. Offer a meeting place for networking and identifying collaborative synergies among women – Join forces, work together and raise their voice.
  4. Promote training and sustainable habits for people to commit to and move towards a more sustainable world.
  5. Disseminate best practices.


These general objectives should be achieved through different institutional commitments and actions in a number of focus areas, such as:

  • The empowerment of women in decision-making on climate change.
  • An education based on a new culture of sustainability.
  • Studies and programmes on the effects of climate change on health with a special focus on women, most vulnerable groups and the working population.
  • Financing the fight against climate change with a gender perspective.
  • The presence and protection of women as agents of change for a sustainable territory.
  • A public administration sensitised and committed to the principle of equality and transparency.

An annual follow up is contemplated to be carried out by the Department of Rural Development and the Environment of the Government of Navarre, together with the Navarre Institute for Equality, in order to gather information on the actions and making them visible.

Forum: Network of Women Active for Climate

The Network of Women Active for Climate will be presented in a dedicated forum on 5 November 2019 in Pamplona, Spain. The event will not only present the network, but will also feature discussions about the importance of observing and acting against climate change, as well as work experiences in the face of climate change from a gender perspective.

The event programme can be found here.

The declaration can be accessed and signed in Spanish and English by all interested persons and entities (citizens, institutions, associations, companies, etc.).

For more information, please contact Regions4 Climate Change Policy Officer, Sara Kupka (skupka@regions4.org) or María Rodríguez Beperet (activasporelclima@gmail.com).