PART II: From the Frontlines to COP30 in Belém: Resistance, Resilience, and Climate Justice
- Katherine Quaid
- 1 hour ago
- 16 min read
This is Part II of the COP30 reportback. Please see below a continuation of WECAN events and actions, a section honoring WECAN partners and colleagues, gratitude to the WECAN COP30 Delegation, and a media round up!
SPEAKING OUT FOR CLIMATE JUSTICE: WECAN EVENTS, PRESS CONFERENCES AND COLLECTIVE ACTIONS
Pavilion Event – Guardians of the Future: Women Leading Forest Protection & Cultural Resilience
Co-hosted by WECAN and We Are Guardians
On November 19, WECAN and We Are Guardians hosted a productive and inspiring event, “Guardians of the Future: Women Leading Forest Protection & Cultural Resilience” in the Climate Live & Entertainment + Culture Pavilion at COP30. During the event, frontline and Indigenous women leaders from the Amazon, along with international advocates, showcased successful women-led solutions and strategies for reforesting and protecting ancestral territories. Specifically, WECAN highlighted our successful Women for Forest Programs in the Ecuadorian and Brazilian Amazon. The robust discussion demonstrated how women are defending the Amazon by embodying the principles of reciprocity, respect for nature, and intergenerational stewardship, grounded in rights-based frameworks, cultural practices and Traditional Ecological Knowledge systems. Critical analysis was shared about why market based mechanisms are not a forest solution and how it is vital to end the financialization of nature and instead lift up community-led solutions. Learn more about the WECAN Women for forests program here.
WECAN also released our new video, “Ecuador Title: Indigenous women of Sarayaku Nurturing and Restoring the Ecuadorian Amazon Rainforest”:
Speakers Included: Secretary Puyr Tembé (Tembé), First Secretary of State for Indigenous Peoples of Pará in the Brazilian Amazon, and Co-founder of National Association of Indigenous Women Warriors of Ancestry (ANMIGA), Brazil; Patricia Gualinga (Kichwa), Kichwa leader from Sarayaku, Spokeswoman for Mujeres Amazónicas Defensoras de la Selva (Amazon Women in Defense of the Jungle), WECAN Coordinator Ecuadorian Amazon, Ecuador; Lidia Guajajara (Guajajara), Indigenous Climate Activist and Communicator from Araribóia Indigenous Territory in the state of Maranhão and WECAN Coordinator in Brazil, Brazil; Osprey Orielle Lake, Executive Director, Women's Earth and Climate Action Network (WECAN), Turtle Island/USA; and moderation and comments by Chelsea Greene, We Are Guardians Film Co-Director and Impact Producer, Turtle Island/USA.
Virtual Event — Global Voices and Women-Led Calls to Action in Response to COP30
From Belém and beyond, women leaders in all of their diversity joined WECAN for a dynamic, virtual event on November 20 in the final days of COP30 to share reflections on the negotiations and calls to action in response to COP30. Around the world, people’s movements are responding to the escalating climate crisis, rising to address the urgency and needs of people and the planet.
Speakers included: Susana Muhamad, Former Minister of Environment and Sustainable Development of Colombia, and Special Envoy for the Fossil Fuel Treaty Initiative; Tzeporah Berman, Chair, Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty, Canada; Ayshka Najib, Women and Gender Constituency (WGC) Just Transition Working Group, Fridays For Future MAPA, UNICEF Youth Advocates, United Arab Emirates (UAE); Maria Reyes, Climate and Human Rights Activist and Fundraising Coordinator of the Alliance of Non Governmental Radical Youth (ANGRY), Mexico; Natalia Greene, Global Director of the Global Alliance for the Rights of Nature (GARN), Ecuador; Eriel Deranger (Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation), President of Indigenous Climate Action, 2024 Climate Breakthrough Award Winner, Turtle Island/Canada; Laura Cook, Project Dandelion Senior Strategist, Climate Policy & Narrative, United Kingdom; Sheelah Bearfoot (Chiricahua Apache), MHS, Environmental Health and Justice Program Manager, Poetry for Planet, Turtle Island/USA; Zukiswa White, Gender Advisor, African Women’s Development and Communications Network, (FEMNET), South Africa; Dr. Crystal A. Cavalier-Keck Ed. D., MPA (Occaneechi Band of the Saponi Nation), Co-Founder and CEO of 7 Directions of Service, and Chapter Director of the 17 Rivers American Indian Movement (AIM), Turtle Island, USA; Cheryl Kwapong, The Chisholm Legacy Project and Global Afrodescendants Climate Justice Collaborative, Turtle Island/USA; Katherine Quaid (Confederated Tribes of Umatilla), Communications Director, Women’s Earth and Climate Action Network (WECAN), Turtle Island/USA; with comments and moderation by: Osprey Orielle Lake, Executive Director, WECAN.
Final Days Actions for Fossil Fuel Phaseout and Just Transition
During the final days of COP30, when the draft negotiating text was released with all fossil fuel phaseout language removed across every track — including the Mutirão cover text — civil society immediately mobilized. A series of powerful actions unfolded throughout the venue, making clear that removing the heart of climate ambition was unacceptable. Civil society and climate vulnerable countries in alignment with science have long affirmed that to keep 1.5°C alive and to safeguard our collective future, countries must enact a fossil fuel phaseout now. There is no “later.”
There was also a powerful Just Transition action before the start of the People’s Plenary, where civil society strategically — and joyfully — raised collective calls for a Just Transition and transformative systemic change. The WECAN team was on the ground throughout the day, participating in these urgent demands to end the era of fossil fuels, adopt a mechanism for the Just Transition Work Program, and maintain pressure until the final decision text was reached. A livestream of this action can be found here.
UNFCCC Constituencies COP30 People’s Plenary
In the final days of COP30, on November 21, UNFCCC constituencies held the People’s Plenary, where each constituency speaks out, uplifting our collective calls for justice, action, and global solidarity. This is a moment at the end of each COP to reflect on our shared power as civil society and to truly honor the grief, the care, and the love we share for our communities, ecosystems, and global planet. It is also a time to plan for the final stages of the negotiations collectively.
The Plenary opened with a mística led by Indigenous women leaders, followed by powerful and moving statements from Palestinian and Sudanese activists. Representatives from the many civil society caucuses, including trade unions, the disability caucus, Indigenous Peoples caucus, farmers, ENGO, and the Women and Gender Constituency shared their calls for action.
The plenary closed with a song led by Indigenous youth, who also carried a sign to bring attention to the recent murder of Guarani Kaiowá leader, Vicente Fernandes Vilhalva.
Honoring Partners and Colleagues
WECAN was honored to connect, strategize, and build with many partners and colleagues within Brazil and around the world. Please see below a few highlights of partners and colleagues at COP30.
Patricia Gualinga, WECAN COP30 Delegate and WECAN Project Coordinator for Ecuador, and women participants from the WECAN Indigenous Women of the Ecuadorian Amazon Reforestation and Forest Protection project in Sarayaku, Ecuador meet with Sophia Lovato, WECAN Food Sovereignty and Reforestation Program Associate, in Belém, Brazil for COP30. Photo Credit: WECAN
Chief Ninawa Huni Kui, Hereditary Chief for the Huni Kui Indigenous Peoples from the Amazon, Shyrlene Oliveira da Silva Huni Kui, Indigenous Activist and Scholar from the Amazon, and other Huni Kui leaders with Osprey Orielle Lake, WECAN Executive Director during a Rights of Nature strategy meeting held at COP30 in Belém, Brazil. Photo Credit: WECAN
(From left to right) Greta Pallaver, Ayshka Najib, and Katherine Quaid walking together as part of the Women and Gender Constituency (WGC) block in the Global Day of Action March on November 15 in Belém, Brazil during COP30. All three are part of the WGC Just Transition working group, and have worked together over the past several years to advocate for stronger policies within the UNFCCC Just Transition Work Program. Photo Credit: WECAN
Ayshka Najib and Osprey Orielle Lake call for the Belém Action Mechanism (BAM) during a Just Transition action in the final days of COP30 in Belém, Brazil. Photo Credit: Katherine Quaid / WECAN
Partners and colleagues, including Leila Salazar-Lopez, Executive Director of Amazon Watch, and Ginger Cassady, Executive Director at Rainforest Action Network, and Joziléia Kaingang, Executive Director of ANMIGA, together during an event hosted by Secretary Puyr Tembe (center), advocating for protections of the Amazon rainforest, held during COP30 in Belém, Brazil. Photo Credit: WECAN
(Left to Right) Julie Horinek (Ponca Nation) and Casey Camp-Horinek ( Ponca Nation) and Great Grandmother Mary Lyons, Ojibwe Elder, walk arm-in-arm during the Global Day of Action March on November 15, held during COP30 in Belém, Brazil. Photo Credit: Katherine Quaid / WECAN
Bridget Burns, WEDO Executive Director, and Osprey Orielle Lake, WECAN Executive Director connect during the Women for Climate flotilla held during COP30 in Belém, Brazil. Photo Credit: Katherine Quaid / WECAN
WECAN has been honored to be in this movement alongside WEDO and many amazing feminist partners advocating for gender justice and climate action.
Ashley Guardado, WECAN Outreach and Special Programs Coordinator, and Sophia Lovato, WECAN Forest and Food Sovereignty Program Associate, with partners during the Global Day of Action held on November 15 during COP30 in Belém, Brazil. Photo Credit: WECAN.
Our team met many leaders who participated in WECAN’s Global Women’s Assembly for Climate Justice: Path to COP30 and Beyond. The virtual global convening took place in June 2025 and uplifted women-led solutions and strategies for the protection and defense of human rights and nature, and hosted over 125 speakers from over 50 countries. Learn more and watch the recordings here.
Célia Xakriabá (Xakriabá) , Federal Deputy in Brazilian Congress in the state of Minas Gerais, and Osprey Orielle Lake , WECAN Executive Director, during the ‘Women’s Leadership for the Health of People and Planet’ co-hosted event with If Not Us Then Who at Casa Maraka in Belém, Brazil. Photo Credit: Katherine Quaid / WECAN
Irene Vélez Torres, Minister of Environment in Colombia, and Osprey Orielle Lake, WECAN Executive Director together during COP30 in Belem, Brazil. Photo Credit: WECAN
(From left to right) WECAN COP30 Delegates Katherine Quaid (Confederates Tribes of Umatilla), Casey Camp-Horinek (Ponca Nation), and Julie Horinek (Ponca Nation) inside the halls of COP30 in Belém, Brazil. Photo Credit: WECAN
Osprey Orielle Lake stands between partners and WECAN COP30 delegates, Xiye Bastida (left) and Puyr Tembé (right). Photo Credit: Katherine Quaid / WECAN
Mary Robinson , Former President of Ireland and Co-Founder of Dandelion Project and Osprey Orielle Lake), WECAN Executive Director at COP30 in Belém, Brazil. Photo Credit: Katherine Quaid / WECAN
Fernanda Soraggi Silva, ANMIGA International Technical Advisor, and Katherine Quaid, WECAN Communications Director. WECAN has been honored to work with ANMIGA in a formal partnership to advance women’s leadership for climate justice at COP30 and beyond. Learn more about ANMIGA here.
Ingrid Sateré Mawé, first Indigenous woman elected to the city council of Florianópolis, and Osprey Orielle Lake, WECAN Executive Director discuss WECAN’s Escazú Agreement Toolkits for Women Land Defenders and Frontline Communities. Learn more about the toolkits here.
Katherine Quaid, WECAN Communications Director and Lydia Wanja Kingeru, WECAN Women Speak Research Intern at COP30 in Belém, Brazil. Lydia is a Kenyan youth advocate and researcher, and joined the Women Speak Research Team in 2025. Learn more about WECAN’s ‘Women Speak: Stories, Case Studies And Solutions From The Frontlines Of Climate Change’ database on our website here. Photo Credit: Frances Roberts-Gregory
The WECAN Team with Pema Wangmo Lama (Mugum Indigenous), Vice-Chair and Founder, WE-Women from Indigenous Nationalities (WE-WIN). Photo Credit: WECAN
WECAN has been honored to have Pema join us for virtual events, sharing about her work and the demands from youth leaders, and this was our first time meeting in person. We are honored to be engaged with women leaders from across the world, fighting for global climate justice.
WECAN COP30 Delegation
SECRETARY PUYR Tembé
(Tembé), Brazil
Puyr Tembé, is a prominent Indigenous activist of the Tembé Indigenous peoples from Alto Rio Guamá in the Brazilian Amazon, and the First Secretary of Indigenous Peoples of the State of Pará. She is also a Co-founder of The National Articulation of Indigenous Ancestral Women Warriors (ANMIGA). Puyr's advocacy is featured in the award-winning film “We Are Guardians,” which highlights the efforts of Indigenous forest guardians and Earth Defenders in protecting the Amazon from illegal logging and mining.
FEDERAL DEPUTY CÉLIA XAKRIABÁ
(Xakriabá), Brazil
Célia Xakriabá is a teacher and Indigenous activist of the Xakriabá people in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. In 2022 she became the first Indigenous woman to be elected federal deputy for Minas Gerais. She has a Master’s degree in sustainable development from the University of Brasilia, and is a co-founder of the National Articulation of Indigenous Women Warriors of Ancestrality (ANMIGA). In 2023, she re-established the Parliamentary Front for the Defense of Indigenous Peoples’ Rights and was elected President of the Commission on the Amazon and Indigenous and Traditional Peoples. In doing so, she became the first Indigenous woman to chair a congressional commission.
PATRICIA GUALINGA
(Kichwa) Sarayaku, Ecuador
Patricia Gualinga is an Indigenous woman leader from the Kichwa Pueblo of Sarayaku, Ecuador, and spokeswoman for Mujeres Amazónicas Defensoras de la Selva where she advocates for the rights of women, Indigenous peoples, and land defenders to protect their homelands, the forest, and the global climate. To further her advocacy for land defenders' protections, Patricia sits on the WECAN steering committee for the Escazú Agreement campaign. Patricia is also an advocate for the Rights of Nature and the Kawsak Sacha (Living Forest) Declaration. Patricia is the WECAN Coordinator in Ecuador, where she leads endemic species recovery, reforestation, and forest protection work. This includes planting trees, workshops that support Traditional Ecological Knowledge, protecting the Sarayaku territory from extractive projects, building women's leadership, and safeguarding the ecological integrity of the Ecuadorian Amazon.
CASEY CAMP-HORINEK
(Ponca Nation), Turtle Island/USA
Casey Camp-Horinek of the Ponca Nation is a community leader, long-time Native rights activist, environmentalist and actress. She is the Ponca Environmental Ambassador and a WECAN Board Member and Project Coordinator. Casey is the Chair of the Indigenous Council for the Global Alliance for the Rights of Nature (GARN). She has been at the forefront of grassroots community efforts to educate and empower both Native and non-Native community members on environmental and civil rights issues.
LIDIA GUAJAJARA
(Guajajara), Brazil
Lídia Guajajara is an Indigenous leader from the Tentehar/Guajajara people of Araribóia, Brazil. Lídia advocates for the rights of women, voluntarily isolated and non-isolated Indigenous peoples, climate justice, and the rights to protect their forest homelands. As a WECAN Guajajara Coordinator for Brazil, Lídia leads reforestation and forest protection efforts in the Araribóia Territory. This includes recovering biodiversity by collecting and planting native tree species, building plant nurseries, implementing agroforestry systems, and increasing Guajajara women’s leadership to safeguard the Brazilian Amazon.
TAILY TERENA
(Terena Nation), Pantanal, Brazil
XIYE BASTIDA
(Otomi-Toltec), Mexico
Xiye Bastida is a Mexican climate justice activist. She is part of the Otomi-Toltec Indigenous community, located in the highlands of Central Mexico. In April 2020, she convened and co-founded Re-Earth Initiative to highlight frontline communities and advocate for solution-oriented efforts. Xiye has been a leader in the youth climate movement since she started organizing climate strikes and protests in 2019. In SepTembér of that year, she co-organized a 300,000-person climate strike in New York. She spoke at the Biden Climate Summit in 2021 in front of 40 heads of state and, later that year, closed the World Leaders Summit at COP26. Xiye wants to bridge the gap of policy, youth inclusion, and funding to empower the movement. Xiye was also named Ambassador to the United Nations High-Level Champions in 2021. She is a commissioner in the Climate Governance Commission alongside Maria Fernanda Espinoza, Johan Rockstrom, and Mary Robinson and serves as a Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty Champion. Currently, she is the Executive Producer of the upcoming feature film, The Way of the Whale.
JULIA HORINEK
(Ponca Nation), Turtle Island/USA
Julia Horinek, a citizen of the Ponca Nation of Oklahoma, has worked extensively alongside her family in both the Rights of Nature and Human Rights Movements for the entirety of her life. A seasoned “activist”, organizer, and administrator, Julia holds tight to the traditional knowledge passed to her from her Mother and Grandmother. Through her work Julia supports the continuation of Indigenous traditions, values, and Cosmology. Julie is a WECAN Coordinator of the Ponca Earthen Lodge Project, and also serves as the Global North Organizer for the Indigenous Council for the Global Alliance for the Rights of Nature (GARN), and the Plains Organizer for Movement Rights.
ÉVELIN HEKERÉ
(Terena), Brazil
Évelin Hekeré is an Indigenous woman from the Terena Peoples, from the Pantanal biome in Brazil.She is an Indigenous activist with a PhD in Education. She has been actively engaged for over ten years in both the Indigenous movement and the women’s movement, and is a part of the National Articulation of Indigenous Women Warriors of Ancestrality (ANMIGA). WECAN is very honored to be in partnership with ANMIGA for COP30 and beyond.
HELENA GUALINGA
(Kichwa), Sarayaku, Ecuador
OSPREY ORIELLE LAKE
USA
Osprey Orielle Lake is the Founder and Executive Director of the Women’s Earth and Climate Action Network (WECAN). Osprey works internationally with grassroots, BIPOC and Indigenous leaders, policymakers, and diverse coalitions to build climate justice, resilient communities, and a Just Transition. She sits on the executive committee for the Global Alliance for the Rights of Nature and on the steering committee for the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty. Osprey’s writing about climate justice, relationships with nature, women in leadership, and other topics has been featured in many publications, and she is the author of the award-winning book, “The Story is in Our Bones: How Worldviews and Climate Justice Can Remake a World in Crisis.”
KATHERINE QUAID
Confederated Tribes of Umatilla, Turtle Island/USA
Katherine Quaid is the Communications Director for the Women’s Earth and Climate Action Network (WECAN). A citizen of the Confederated Tribes of Umatilla, her dedication to climate justice is tied to the lands of her ancestors and the many communities nationally and around the world that are fighting for a healthy future. As part of her work at the UNFCCC, she engages in the Women and Gender Constituency Just Transition working group, supports strategic communications, and speaks out on Indigenous rights, climate justice, and a feminist Just Transition.
SOPHIA LOVATO
(Osage Nation), Turtle Island/USA
Sophia Lovato is the Forest and Food Sovereignty Program Associate for the Women’s Earth and Climate Action Network (WECAN). She was born and raised in Colorado and is a citizen of the Osage Nation. With her dedication to environmental justice, Sophia focuses on forest protection and food sovereignty as key solutions in building climate, biodiversity, and communal resiliency. At COP30, Sophia will be supporting WECAN’s advocacy for the protection of forests and biodiversity.
ASHLEY GUARDADO
Turtle Island/USA
Ashley Guardado is the Outreach and Special Programs Coordinator with the Women’s Earth and Climate Action Network (WECAN). A queer chicana activist, organizer, and poet from Chester, Pennsylvania, her work is shaped by the lived realities of environmental racism within her community. Guided by the power of collective leadership and resilient communities, Ashley’s commitment to climate justice is rooted in care, intention, and purposeful resistance. In her role, she works to uplift Indigenous and frontline women leaders around the world, advancing women-led and grassroots-led climate solutions for a just and thriving future. At COP30, Ashley will support the logistics and event curation of WECAN’s advocacy efforts.
Media Round Up
Media requests for the Women’s Earth and Climate Action Network regarding our events and advocacy at the UNFCCC COP30 can be directed to: katherine@wecaninternational.org
Below is a selection of the media highlights for the WECAN COP30 Delegation and the Women’s Earth and Climate Action Network overall:
WBAI Radio – Frontline Voices, November 10
WBAI Radio – Frontline Voices, November 28
Businessday NG – COP30: Tribunal demands global recognition of nature's legal rights
Rising Up with Sonali – Nature Has Rights–A Tool for Climate Justice
Project Syndicate – How Indigenous Peoples Will Drive Progress at COP30
Vatican News – COP30: En la Marcha de los Pueblos, la Iglesia se une a los defensores del medio ambiente
Premium Times – Group urges end to ecocide, fossil fuels at COP30
Religión Digital – Patricia Gualinga a la COP30: “Piensen en las respuestas urgentes que requiere esta crisis climática”
Valor International - ‘Erased’ from Brazil’s population, Indigenous DNA survives mainly through women
EnviroNews Nigeria – International Tribunal urges govts, masses to acknowledge nature's rights - EnviroNews - latest environment news, climate change, renewable energy
The Authority News – COP30: Nnimmo Bassey, others make case for protection of nature
Agencia Cenarium – Célia Xakriabá e Margareth Menezes defendem integração entre cultura e clima na COP30
Tribuna Popular – COP30: Indígenas denunciam danos espirituais e adoecimento mental pela degradação dos territórios
Informe Fortaleza – Mulheres na COP30: deputadas detalham propostas de enfrentamento à crise climática
NanaimoNewsNOW – Indigenous people reflect on the meaning of their participation in COP30 climate talks
The Wire – So Who Exactly Protests at COP?
L'Osservatore Romano – The forest has rights just like us
National Catholic Reporter – COP30's global ethics initiative aims to break chronic malaise on climate action
HuffPost Latest News – Indigenous People Reflect On What It Meant To Participate In COP30 Climate Talks
Good Humans with Cooper Chapman – Blue Minds Special Bonus Episode: Live from COP30 in Belém, Brazil - United Nations Climate Change Conference
PR Newswire – COP30 Presidency launches Citizens' Track to bring people's voices into climate decision-making
Morningstar – COP30 Presidency launches Citizens' Track to bring people's voices into climate decision-making
AZO Clean Tech – COP30 Presidency Launches Citizens' Track to Bring People's Voices Into Climate Decision-Making
EIN Presswire – Global #CommitToOcean Campaign Gains Momentum as Guterres Calls for Bold, United Ocean-Climate Action at COP30
Outrage + Optimism – 328: Inside COP: Protests at COP30 - and the reality of Indigenous representation
ZDF Heute – Second day at COP 30
ZDF Heutre - Germany heavily affected by climate change
The Resilience Hub YouTube – COP Week 1 at the Resilience Hub
The Resilience Hub YouTube – Global South Activism at COP30 | COP30 in 60 Seconds
The Resilience Hub YouTube – Youth activism & nurturing resilience | COP30 in 60 Seconds
The Southern Examiner – Global Tribunal at COP30 Demands Legal Rights for Nature, End to Fossil Fuels
Justice Info – The rights of nature: reason versus the industrial economy
Premium Times – The force and the fire at COP30, By Nnimmo Bassey
EnviroNews Nigeria – Cambodia announces support for Fossil Fuel Treaty at COP30 - EnviroNews - latest environment news, climate change, renewable energy
Revista Fórum – Célia Xabriabá rebate chanceler alemão: "capitalismo colonial precisa escutar soluções ancestrais"
SUMAÚMA – Devastation Bill: Congress overturns Lula's vetoes, destroying environmental laws in Brazil
British Vogue – Meet The Women Fighting For Indigenous Rights In Brazil
City News – A decade after Brazil’s deadly dam collapse, Indigenous peoples demand justice on the eve of COP30
Folha de S.Paulo LinkedIn Post – Chief Raoni Metuktire, of the Kayapo people, met with Shawn Mendes and Ecuadorian indigenous activist Helena Gualinga
Shaman Portal – The forest has rights just like us
