The Women's Environment & Development Organization (WEDO) is an international

non-governmental organization A non-governmental organization (NGO) is an independent, typically nonprofit organization that operates outside government control, though it may get a significant percentage of its funding from government or corporate sources. NGOs often focus ...

based in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

U.S. The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 contiguous ...

that advocates

women's equality Gender equality, also known as sexual equality, gender egalitarianism, or equality of the sexes, is the state of equal ease of access to resources and opportunities regardless of gender, including economic participation and decision-making, an ...

in global policy. Its early successes included achieving gender

equality Equality generally refers to the fact of being equal, of having the same value. In specific contexts, equality may refer to: Society * Egalitarianism, a trend of thought that favors equality for all people ** Political egalitarianism, in which ...

in the final documents of

Agenda 21 Agenda 21 is a non-binding action plan of the United Nations with regard to sustainable development. It is a product of the Earth Summit (UN Conference on Environment and Development) held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in 1992. It is an action ag ...

and the

Rio Declaration The Rio Declaration on Environment and Development, often shortened to Rio Declaration, was a short document produced at the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), informally known as the Earth Summit. The Rio Declar ...

. In 2006, the organization was named as an international

Champion of the Earth The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) established Champions of the Earth in 2005 as an annual awards programme to recognize outstanding environmental leaders from the public and private sectors and from civil society. Award details T ...

by the

United Nations Environment Programme The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is responsible for coordinating responses to environmental issues within the United Nations system. It was established by Maurice Strong, its first director, after the Declaration of the United Nati ...

. WEDO was founded in 1990 by two former United States Congresswoman

Bella Abzug Bella Abzug (; née Savitzky; July 24, 1920 – March 31, 1998), nicknamed "Battling Bella", was an American lawyer, politician, social activist, and a leader in the women's movement. In 1971, Abzug joined other leading feminists such as Gloria ...

and Mim Kelber, who was a feminist activist. Several pioneers have also contributed to the development of this organization such a
Thais Corral
,

Jocelyn Dow Jocelyn is a surname and first name. It is a unisex (male/female) name. Variants include Jocelin, Joceline, Jocelyne, Jocelynn, Jocelynne, Joscelin, Josceline, Joscelyn, Joscelynn, Joscelynne, Joseline, Joselyn, Joselyne, Joslin, Joslyn, Josselin ...

Wangari Maathai
,

Brownie Ledbetter Mary Brown Williams Ledbetter (April 28, 1932 – March 21, 2010), better known as Brownie Ledbetter, was a political activist, social justice crusader and lobbyist who was involved in the civil rights, feminist, labor and environmental movements ...

Chief Bisi Ogunleye
, and

Vandana Shiva Vandana Shiva (born 5 November 1952) is an Indian scholar, environmental activist, food sovereignty advocate, ecofeminist and anti-globalization author. Based in Delhi, Shiva has written more than 20 books. She is often referred to as "Ga ...

. The organization fights for women's rights on an international level through a series of worldwide conferences and actions. WEDO plays an important role in promoting justice by strengthening global and local advocacy systems. The organization includes a Technical Advisor, an Advocate, Facilitator and Convener, Trainer, Organizer, and Knowledge Creator. All these roles help in advocating for women's human rights by advising, analyzing, and leading a set of several actions to let government and United Nations agencies understand the importance of the implementation of development policies for women across the world. The organization focuses on six key areas; Climate Policy, Sustainable Cities & Transport, Disaster Risk Reduction, Biodiversity, Peace, Conflict, & Natural Resources, and International Finance & Trade. The organization has also developed the Gender Climate Tracker App. The app allows users to access any information, policies, and laws governments from around the world have established on climate change. The app was created following the

Paris Climate Agreement The Paris Agreement (also called the Paris Accords or Paris Climate Accords) is an international treaty on climate change that was signed in 2016. The treaty covers climate change mitigation, adaptation, and finance. The Paris Agreement was ...

in collaboration with the governments of Finland and Switzerland, as well as Global Gender and Climate Alliance (GGCA). The organization hopes that users will take advantage of the app by using it to keep governments and officials accountable for following through on any commitments made. WEDO also started th
“Feminist Agenda for a Green New Deal”
with 13 other partners. The coalition analyzes how feminist principles on intersectional gender inequality cross-cut with climate change in order to try to establish a healthier planet in the future. The website states that a Green New Deal must be guided b
principles
of justice and accountability, as well as listing principles for action. WEDO and the

Center for Women's Global Leadership The Center for Women's Global Leadership, based at Rutgers University, was founded in 1989 by Charlotte Bunch, the former executive director and an internationally renowned activist for women's human rights. Executive Director Krishanti Dharmara ...

launched the

Gender Equality Architecture Reform The Gender Equality Architecture Reform (GEAR) campaign was a network of over 300 women's, human rights and social justice groups around the world. The GEAR campaign urged UN Member States and the UN Secretariat to move swiftly forward to create a ...

(GEAR) Campaign in February 2008 to mobilize women's groups and allies to push for the adoption of the new UN entity for gender equality and women's empowerment. Priority projects include MisFortune500.org, climate change advocacy, and UN Reform.

References

Summary of 2006 Champions of the Earth, United Nations Environment Programme

External links

Women's Environment & Development Organization
{{DEFAULTSORT:Women's Environment and Development Organization International environmental organizations International women's organizations Feminist organizations in the United States Development charities based in the United States Organizations established in 1990 Sustainability organizations

See also

References

External links