Make Climate COP Presidencies
Gender-Balanced

A joint Appeal
to the COP 30 Parties

Out of the 30 Climate Conferences of the Parties (Climate COPs) held to date, only five women have been elected as Presidents. This highlights a persistent gender imbalance in the leadership of global climate governance. Despite some progress toward greater inclusion, the underrepresentation of women at the highest levels of Climate COP leadership reflects broader structural challenges in achieving gender equality in international decision-making processes. Strengthening efforts to promote diverse leadership is essential to ensure that climate negotiations are inclusive and representative of the global community they aim to serve.

It has also to be noted that for the 120 United Nations General Assembly (regular and special sessions), the underrepresentation is even more acute, only four women have served as Presidents. (List of chairpersons Climate COP & UNGA)

This striking underrepresentation underscores the ongoing gender disparity within the highest levels of global governance. Despite decades of advocacy for gender equality, the limited presence of women in this key leadership position reveals systemic barriers that still need to be addressed. Promoting more equitable representation at the Climate COPs is crucial to ensuring that international decision-making processes fully reflect the diversity and perspectives of all peoples.

Therefore and in alignment with the implementation with the IGC Geneva Pledge for Gender-Responsive Climate Action,

the International Gender Champions and 2050Today

are proposing a simple, direct and clear initiative

in the run-up to COP 30, where the presidency of COP 31 will be decided:

Publishing an joint Appeal calling on Parties to adhere

to specific criteria to ensure that future Climate COP presidencies are gender-balanced

The joint Appeal will be made public and presented to the Brazilian Presidency in advance of the  COP 30.

Text of the joint Appeal

Make Climate COP Presidencies Gender-Balanced

Since the first Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP1) in Berlin in 1995, only five women have been designated as COP Presidents out of thirty. This highlights a persistent gender imbalance in the leadership of global climate governance. Despite some progress toward greater inclusion, the under-representation of women at the highest levels of Climate COP leadership reflects structural challenges in achieving gender equality in international decision-making processes. Strengthening efforts to achieve equitable representation in leadership is essential to ensure that climate negotiations are inclusive and representative of the global community they aim to serve, bearing in mind that climate change disproportionately impacts women and girls.

The upcoming Climate COP30 to be held in Belem, Brazil (10-21 November 2025) offers a critical opportunity to demonstrate inclusive representation across the full spectrum of humanity.

In line with the Lima Enhanced Work Programme on Gender and the upcoming adoption of its new Action Plan to promote gender balance, COP30 can improve the capacity to identify solutions, manage complex trade-offs and build consensus among stakeholders by implementing diverse leadership. By allocating the appropriate resources, policies and programmes, this balanced participation can translate into tangible impact.

Recognising the persistent gender imbalance in the presidencies of the Climate Conference of the Parties and noting that the last woman to serve as COP president did so in 2019, we invite the Parties and the Brazilian presidency to ensure a gender-balanced approach when selecting the host country for the 31st COP and subsequent conferences.

 

We call upon Parties to implement gender balance into future Climate COP presidencies by:

  • Ensuring that the host state guarantees full, equal, meaningful, effective and safe participation of women, girls, and underrepresented communities both during the conference and throughout the preparatory processes leading up to it.
  • Alternating the gender of the Climate COP presidency every year or at least every two years. Host country selection should reflect this commitment to gender-balanced leadership.
  • Appointing representatives with gender balance to various leadership positions, both during the conference and throughout its preparatory process to promote gender balance in the presidency.

 

We are convinced that promoting more equitable representation at the Climate Conference of the Parties and at the United Nations is crucial to ensure that climate international decision-making processes fully reflect the diversity of voices, experiences and perspectives of all peoples.

The signatories of the Appeal

The list of signatories is regularly updated

International Gender Champions
  • Cary Adams, Chief Executive Officer, Union for International Cancer Control – Geneva
  • Mbah Atim, Founder, Green Farmlands – Douala
  • Manizha Bakhtari, Ambassador of Afghanistan and Permanent Representative – Vienna
  • Sabra Bano, Director, Gender Concerns International – The Hague
  • Burim Bilali, Chargé d’affaires, Permanent Mission of the Republic of North Macedonia – Geneva
  • Mamadou Dian Balde, Regional Director, UNHCR Regional Bureau for Eastern and Southern Africa – Nairobi
  • Phoebe Barnard, Affiliate Full Professor, University of Washington, Seattle
  • Annika Ben David, Ambassador of Sweden and Permanent Representative – Vienna
  • Brigitte Brenner, Permanent Observer to the United Nations, Inter-Parliamentary Union – Vienna
  • Emile Brix, former Director, Diplomatische Akademie Wien – Vienna
  • Elise Buckle, CEO of Climate Bridges, Member of the Club of Rome, Senior Advisor to the World Bank Women Entrepreneurs Finance Initiative – Geneva
  • Ryce Chanchai, Global Gender Advisor, The United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction – Bangkok
  • Ferran Costa Marimon, Ambassador of Andorra and Permanent Representative – Geneva 
  • Adam Day, Head of Office, United Nations University Centre for Policy Research – Geneva
  • Randolph De Battista, Ambassador of Malta and Permanent Representative – Geneva
  • Alain Deletroz, Director General, Geneva Call – Geneva
  • Esther Dingemans, Executive Director, Global Survivors Fund – Geneva
  • Fidelma Donlon, Registrar, Kosovo Specialist Chambers – The Hague
  • Philippe Duneton, Executive Director, Unitaid – Geneva
  • Julia Ehrt, Executive Director, ILGA World – Berlin
  • Tormod C. Endresen, Ambassador of Norway and Permanent Representative  – Geneva
  • Monika Froehler, CEO,Ban Ki-moon Centre for Global Citizens – Vienna
  • Claudia Fuentes Julio, Ambassador of Chile and Permanent Representative – Geneva
  • Graciela Gatti Santana, President, International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals – The Hague
  • Marcos Gomez Martinez,  Ambassador of Spain and Permanent Representative, Geneva
  • Marie-Claire Graf, Director, Youth Negotiators Academy – Geneva
  • Christian Guillermet, Ambassador of Costa Rica and Permanent Representative – Geneva
  • Einar Gunnarsson, Ambassador of Iceland and Permanent Representative – Geneva
  • Magnus Hellgren, Ambassador of Sweden and Permanent Representative, Geneva
  • Stavros Lambrinidis, Ambassador of the European Union to the United Nations – New York
  • Analisa Leonor Balares, CEO, Humansphere Foundation, Womensphere Global Institute – New-York
  • Raymond Lorétan, President, Club Diplomatique de Genève – Geneva
  • Artur Lorkowski, Director, Energy Community Secretariat – Vienna
  • Phil Lynch,  Executive Director, International Service for Human Rights – Geneva
  • Peter MacDougall, Ambassador of Canada and Permanent Representative – Geneva
  • Olivier Maes, Ambassador of Luxembourg and Permanent Representative – New-York
  • Slavica Milacic, Ambassador of Montenegro and Permanent Representative – Geneva
  • João Mira Gomes, Ambassador of Portugal and Permanent Representative – Geneva
  • Atalanti Moquette, Founder, Giving Women – Geneva
  • Elisabeth Moreno, President, Fondation Femmes@Numerique – Paris
  • Josipa Palac, President,  International Cultural Diversity Organisation – Vienna
  • Christophe Payot, Ambassador of Belgium and Permanent Representative – Geneva
  • Jean-Pierre Reymond, Executive Director, 2050Today – Geneva
  • Marie-Laure Salles, Director, Geneva Graduate Institute – Geneva
  • Olga Sauma, Ambassador of Costa Rica and Permanent Representative – Vienna
  • Desiree Schweizer, Ambassador of Austria and Permanent Representative – Geneva
  • Darius Staniulis, Ambassador of Lithuania and Permanent Representative – Geneva
  • Patricia Torsney, Permanent Observer to the United Nations, Inter-Parliamentary Union – New-York
  • Fernando Travesi-Sanz, Executive Director, International Center for Transitional Justice – New-York
  • Aniela Unguresan, Founder, EDGE Certified Foundation – Geneva
  • Caroline Vermeulen, Ambassador of Belgium to Austria, Slovakia and Slovenia, and Permanent Representative – Vienna
  • Rosely Akinyi Walender, Africa Director, Practical Action – Nairobi
  • Christian Wenaweser,  Ambassador of Liechtenstein and Permanent Representative – New-York
  • Alex Wetzig, Ambassador of Chile and Permanent Representative – Vienna
  • Matthew Wilson, Ambassador of Barbados and Permanent Representative – Geneva
  • Tanya Wood, Executive Director, CHS Alliance – Geneva
  • Omar Zniber,  Ambassador of Morocco and Permanent Representative – Geneva
  • Melita Župevc, Ambassador of Slovenia and Permanent Representative – Vienna
  • Catherine Bischofberger, e-tech Editor International Electrotechnical Commision – Geneva
  • Dominique Bobst, Climate Bridges – Pully, Switzerland
  • Francisco Cos-Montiel, Senior Research Coordinator, The United Nations Research Institute for Social Development – Geneva
  • Eva Guerreiro, Programme Associate, PATH – Geneva
  • Rahul Jha, Programme Analyst, International Telecommunication Union – Geneva
  • Raphael Kariuki, Terre des hommes – Nairobi
  • Susana Perdiz, Programme Manager, Université de Genève – Geneva
  • Karlee Schnyder, Co-Founder, Real Food Systems Youth Network – Le Mont-Pélerin, Switzerland
  • Gerrit Sindermann, Executive Director, Green Digital Finance Alliance, Zurich
  • Tiziana Vecchio, Attachée, Ministry of Foreign Affairs – Roma