By Zarina Ahmad, Co-Director, Wen
When I attended COP26 in Glasgow with the Climate Sisters, the air was thick with contradiction. The slogan was “Together for Our Planet,” but there was little sense of togetherness. Many Indigenous leaders and grassroots communities from the Global South were shut out, unable to attend because of vaccine apartheid, visa barriers, or prohibitive costs. Women were underrepresented in negotiations, with just seven per-cent of heads of delegations being women. It was called the most exclusive COP ever, and that felt painfully true.
COP30
So as COP30 opens in Belém, in the heart of the Amazon, there is a sense that this time might be different. Brazil’s presidency has made inclusivity and gender part of the agenda, with the COP30 Action Agenda recognising that women and Indigenous peoples must be at the centre of solutions. Initiatives like the new Protocol for Supporting Women in Climate Emergencies and Disasters mark some progress towards embedding gender justice across all aspects of climate policy.
But progress on representation alone is not enough.
Representation cannot be tokenistic or symbolic. It cannot stop at an invitation to attend. Women and Indigenous peoples, particularly those from racialised and marginalised communities, must have real influence, shaping the decisions, the finance, and the frameworks that define our collective future.
Climate justice = gender, racial and social justice
At Wen, we have always said that climate justice is inseparable from gender, racial and social justice. Those on the frontlines of the climate crisis are not passive victims; they are already leading the change and offering the solutions we need. Across the UK and around the world, women, especially those on low incomes or from racialised and marginalised communities, are building food networks, restoring ecosystems, creating sustainable livelihoods, and holding governments to account. Indigenous communities have been protecting the Amazon and other forests for centuries, guided by deep ecological knowledge and care for the land.
Climate Sisters
When I think back to COP26, I remember the frustration, the fatigue, the feeling of shouting into the wind. But I also remember the resilience of the women I travelled with – the Climate Sisters – each of them carrying stories of community, knowledge, power, resilience and hope. Those stories must now be at the heart of how we shape the commitments and priorities that emerge from COP30, not as a gesture of inclusion, but as a foundation for justice.
Global Ethical Stocktake
Brazil’s proposed Global Ethical Stocktake gives me cautious optimism. Its aim, which is to assess not just emissions targets, but the moral, cultural, and social impacts of the climate crisis, could be transformative if done well. For too long, the climate negotiations have focused on data and pledges while ignoring the ethics of inequality and loss. The global ethical stocktake could help to reframe climate accountability around care, justice, and responsibility to those most affected. But only if it truly listens to the voices it claims to represent.
We have seen initiatives come and go, and we know how easily good intentions can be absorbed by bureaucracy and politics. That is why we must continue to demand that women and Indigenous leaders are not just present, but central, resourced, and supported to shape decisions from the inside out.
Climate leadership
For me, the heart of COP30 won’t be found in negotiation halls, but in the voices of those who are already defending forests, rebuilding after floods, and nurturing families and communities on the frontlines. Their leadership is not just reactive – it is visionary. It embodies a care economy rooted in dignity, reciprocity, and the protection of life over profit. These are the values that must shape the commitments we make.
If COP30 is to mean anything, it must show that the world has finally learned that lesson. Because we women, particularly those from marginalised and racialised communities and Indigenous peoples are not waiting to be saved – we are already leading the way. It’s time for world leaders to follow.
Read our COP30 explainer and what Wen wants to see for more on the outcomes we’re calling for: https://www.wen.org.uk/2025/11/10/cop30-a-turning-point-for-climate-and-gender-justice/
Listen to Zarina’s recent interview on The Decarbonisation Dialogue podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-decarbonisation-dialogue-episode-24-feat-zarina-ahmad/id1793792114?i=1000731581362
Zarina Ahmad, Co-director, Wen
Zarina is an expert in equalities and climate change, increasing participation of under-represented groups in environmentalism. She was named as one of the top 30 influential women contributing to the environment and sustainability by BBC Woman’s Hour.
