Santa Marta, Colombia – At the end of April, governments, frontline leaders, and civil society will converge in Santa Marta, Colombia, for the first Transition Away from Fossil Fuels Conference, hosted by Colombia and the Netherlands. To encourage a just and fair phaseout of fossil fuels, leaders from the Women’s Earth and Climate Action Network (WECAN) will be in Colombia releasing policy briefs, engaging in civil society assemblies, advocating for Just Transition strategies, and organizing events on intersecting topic areas.

Announced last fall, the Conference comes on the heels of COP30, where, despite significant support, governments did not take action on transitioning away from fossil fuels in the outcome documents. The Conference marks the first time governments will come together to initiate a concrete process for implementing a fossil fuel phaseout.

WECAN will host an event in Santa Marta, ahead of the formal high-level dialogues, and will have spokespeople available for in-person or virtual interviews. If you are interested in learning more or interviews with WECAN spokespeople and partners, please contact katherine@wecaninternational.org

In-Person Event: Women's Fossil Fuel Phaseout Forum: Halting Extraction and Advancing a Just Transition

Register and learn more.

When: Saturday, April 25, 6:00 - 9:00pm COT Colombia Time

Where: Santa Marta, Colombia

Agenda:

PANEL 1: No Extraction in the Amazon: Indigenous Women Protecting Forests and Communities, Co-hosted by Amazon Watch and WECAN

PANEL 2: Women in Action for a Just Transition

Topics: policies to address fossil fuel phaseout, climate justice frameworks, mining for transition minerals, care economies, women’s leadership, Indigenous rights, Just Transition projects, food sovereignty, fossil fuel resistance, Rights of Nature, and more.

WECAN Spokespeople in Santa Marta, Colombia:

• Casey Camp-Horinek (Ponca Nation), Ponca Nation Environmental Ambassador, and WECAN Board Member and Project Coordinator, Topics: Impacts of fossil fuels in Indigenous communities, Indigenous-led Just Transition projects, Indigenous support for the Fossil Fuel Treaty, Indigenous rights, Rights of Nature.

• Osprey Orielle Lake, WECAN Founder and Executive Director, Topics: Fossil fuel phaseout at a systemic level, Just Transition efforts and strategies, critiques of transition mineral mining, feminist perspectives, gender-responsive and women-led climate solutions, forest protection, Rights of Nature.

Background

• Fossil fuel pollution is responsible for 1 in 5 deaths worldwide and is a leading driver of the climate crisis.

• The Copernicus Climate Change Service confirmed that 2023 - 2025 marked the first time the planet has exceeded the 1.5 °C guardrail for planetary warming, but importantly also noted that it is possible to recover from this guardrail breach. To fulfil the Paris Agreement and keep long-term 1.5 °C within reach, governments and businesses must implement a fossil fuel phaseout.

• Decades of research demonstrate that women’s global leadership is necessary to achieve equitable and successful climate policies and solutions. Yet, new data from March 2025 reveals that women remain underrepresented at all levels of political decision-making worldwide. At the First Conference on Transitioning Away from Fossil Fuels, a successful outcome requires the leadership and experiences of women leaders with a climate justice framework.