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Virtual Women’s Momentum Assembly for a Just Fossil Fuel Phaseout
Tuesday, March 31, 1:00 - 5:00 PM EDT
Interpretation available in Spanish, Portuguese, French, and English
Please join us during Women’s History Month in March for the “Women’s Momentum Assembly for a Just Fossil Fuel Phaseout,” a virtual global assembly with women and gender-diverse leaders in the lead up to the First Conference on Transitioning Away from Fossil Fuels, a multilateral government convening in Colombia.
From April 28-29, Colombia and the Netherlands will host the First Conference on Transitioning Away from Fossil Fuels —coordinating governments to institutionalize global cooperation for a managed, equitable fossil fuel phaseout. This is a breakthrough opportunity to convene committed countries after the failure to include a transition away from fossil fuels in the final outcome documents of the UNFCCC COP30 at the end of last year.
Aligned with the 2025 International Court of Justice’s ruling that nations have a legal duty to address fossil fuel production, licensing, and subsidies, the Colombian conference will reinforce the Paris Agreement and mark a critical step toward a just and equitable global transition away from fossil fuels. While the conference is specifically organized by and for governments, civil society and other stakeholders have been invited to have meaningful engagement. WECAN serves on the Fossil Fuel Treaty Iniative Steering Committee and is honored to participate in organizing events and advocacy in the lead-up to and during the conference.
In support of this vital gathering, on March 31, 2026, WECAN is hosting global women leaders at a virtual pre-conference assembly to strategize and generate momentum for action on a fossil fuel phaseout and a Just Transition. During the “Women’s Momentum Assembly for a Just Fossil Fuel Phaseout,” policymakers, frontline leaders, global advocates, and parliamentarians will discuss the challenges to ending the era of fossil fuels as well as successful policies, campaigns, and solutions to ensure a just and equitable path forward. Presenters include Mary Robinson, Daniela Durán González, Célia Xakriabá, Mela Chiponda, and many more. Please see the full list of speakers to-date below.
Everyone is welcome to the virtual Assembly as we collectively build momentum for the conference in Colombia and call for government action to stop fossil fuels and build a healthy and just future for all generations!
EVENT SCHEDULE
The panel times are in Eastern Daylight Time (EDT)
Appearances by
Alysia Reiner, Artist, Storyteller, Actor, and Fossil Fuel Treaty Champion, Turtle Island/USA
Bio coming soon!
Mary Robinson, Former President of Ireland, Member, The Elders, and Co-Founder, Project Dandelion, Ireland
First woman President of Ireland and former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights; former Chair of The Elders; a passionate advocate for gender equality, women’s participation in peace-building, human dignity and climate justice.
1:00 PM | Welcome & Opening Remarks
Osprey Orielle Lake, Assembly Convenor, Founder and Executive Director, Women’s Earth and Climate Action Network, USA
Osprey Orielle Lake is the Founder and Executive Director of the Women's Earth and Climate Action Network (WECAN) International, working nationally and internationally with grassroots and frontline women leaders, policy-makers, and diverse coalitions to build women's leadership, climate justice, resilient communities, and a just transition to a decentralized, democratized clean energy future. Osprey was the visionary behind the International Women’s Earth and Climate Summit, which brought together 100 global women leaders to draft and implement a 'Women’s Climate Action Agenda', and co-founded the International Women’s Earth and Climate Initiative (IWECI), the precursor initiative of WECAN International. Osprey is honored to serve on the Executive Committee for the Global Alliance for the Rights of Nature, and has been a core organizer of various International Rights of Nature Tribunals. She has served on the board of the Praxis Peace Institute and on the Steering Committee for The UN Women’s Major Group for the Rio+20 Earth Summit. Awards include National Women’s History Project Honoree, Taking The Lead To Save Our Planet, the Woman Of The Year Outstanding Achievement Award from the California Federation Of Business And Professional Women, and the Be the Dream Lifetime Achievement award. Osprey's writing has been featured in publications including The Guardian, Common Dreams, Earth Island Journal, The Ecologist, OpenDemocracy, and EcoWatch, and she is the author of the award-winning books, 'Uprisings for the Earth: Reconnecting Culture with Nature' and The Story is in Our Bones: How Worldviews and Climate Justice Can Remake a World in Crisis."
1:15 PM | Women on the Frontlines: Ending Extraction of People and Planet
Casey Camp-Horinek (Ponca Nation), Ponca Nation Environmental Ambassador and WECAN Board Member and Project Coordinator, Turtle Island/USA
Casey Camp-Horinek of the Ponca Nation is a community leader, long-time Native rights activist, Environmental Ambassador, actress, and WECAN Board Member, international advisor and Ponca Program Coordinator. As traditional Drumkeeper for the Ponca Pa-tha-ta, Woman’s Scalp Dance Society, Camp-Horinek helps maintain the cultural identity of the Ponca Nation of Oklahoma for herself, her family and her community. 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 and she has raised her voice and taken action in countless forums across the world.
Mitzi Jonelle Tan, Senior Advisory, Fossil Fuel Treaty, Philippines
Mitzi Jonelle Tan is a full-time anti-imperialist climate justice activist based in the Philippines. She was the convenor of Youth Advocates for Climate Action Philippines and co-founder of Fridays for Future Most Affected People and Areas (MAPA). She now serves as Senior Advisor for the Fossil Fuel Treaty Initiative and Lead of the Climate Justice Squad Fellowship. Her activism is grounded by love, joy, and the deep-rooted knowledge that we can collectively bring down systems of oppression and injustice as we imagine, nurture, and co-create alternative worlds where no one is left behind.
Patience Nabukalu, Climate and Environmental Rights Activist, Fridays for Future Uganda & Fridays for Future MAPA - Stop EACOP, Uganda
Patience Nabukalu is a youth climate justice and environmental rights activist from Uganda, working at the intersection of climate action, environmental protection, and community empowerment. She is actively involved in grassroots climate movements and global advocacy spaces working as a community organiser with FFFUG and Youth Word to Hand initiative, amplifying the voices of communities most affected by climate change. Patience contributed to international climate campaigns advocating for a just transition and the phase-out of fossil fuels, while also organising community-based climate awareness initiatives in Uganda. Her work emphasizes climate justice, intergenerational leadership, and locally driven solutions rooted in the lived experiences of affected communities. Coming from a background where climate impacts directly affect livelihoods and families, Pateince's advocacy bridges global climate negotiations with grassroots realities, ensuring communities are not left behind in climate decision-making.
Rosa Shiguango (Kichwa), Indigenous Leader from the Ecuadorian Amazon, Ecuador
Rosa Shiguango is a Kichwa leader from the Ecuadorian Amazon and a lead plaintiff in her people’s landmark legal case demanding justice after one of the region’s worst oil spills in decades. Her community, Amarun Mesa, is among more than 100 Indigenous communities affected by the spill of over 15,000 barrels of crude oil in 2020, caused by the rupture of two major pipelines. The disaster contaminated the Coca and Napo Rivers—vital waterways for Indigenous communities and ecosystems in one of the most biodiverse regions on the planet. In response, Rosa joined other Indigenous women and leaders in filing a constitutional lawsuit against the Ecuadorian state, seeking justice, environmental remediation, and reparations for affected communities. Fiercely outspoken, Rosa has been a powerful voice denouncing state negligence, corporate impunity, and the ongoing disregard for Indigenous peoples’ rights, health, and lives. Her leadership stands at the intersection of Indigenous rights, environmental justice, and women’s leadership in the defense of the Amazon. Photo Credit to Ramiro Aguilar Villamarín.
Tishiko "Tish" King (Masigalgal, Kulkalaig, Kulkalgal Nation), Founder, Just Futures Collab, Island of Masig
Tishiko King is a proud Kulkalaig woman from the Island of Masig and is a Ocean & Climate Advocate. Tish is the founder of Just Futures Collab, an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island-led giving circle activating resources for climate justice. Tish works with the Philanthropic, B-corp and values-aligned sector to redistribute wealth back into First Nations communities for economic justice and self-determination. Based between Naarm/Melbourne and Masig Island, Tish is spirited about sharing culture and amplifying social inequality and the rights of First Nations people. With studies in Ocean Science, lived experiences in the mineral and exploration industry, Tish continues to be a part of grassroots organisations and plays a role in advocating for Torres Strait Island Climate Justice. Collaboratively working with like minded folks to shift the dial, Tish is a member of the Australian Museum Climate Solutions Centre Advisory Group, current Board member for AIME and She Changes Climate Australian Ambassador.
Yuvelis Natalia Morales Blanco, Member, Alianza Colombia libre de Fracking, Colombia
Bio coming soon!
2:25 PM | Government Leaders for a Fossil Fuel Phaseout
Cohosted by Fossil Fuel Treaty Initiative, Parliamentarians For a Fossil-Free Future, and Women's Earth and Climate Action Network
Moderation and comments provided by:
Tzeporah Berman, Chair, Fossil Fuel Treaty Initiative, Canada
Tzeporah has been designing and winning campaigns in Canada and internationally for 30 years. She is the Co-founder and International Program Director at Stand.earth, the Founder and Steering Committee Chair of the Fossil Fuel Treaty Initiative, and serves as a member of the Advisory Group for InfluenceMap. She is the former co-director of Greenpeace International’s Climate Energy Program and the Co-founder of ForestEthics. She has held positions advising the British Columbia government and was appointed by the Alberta Government to Co-Chair the Oil Sands Advisory Working Group. Tzeporah holds an honorary doctorate of law from the University of British Columbia and was an adjunct professor at York University for 5 years. She publishes and speaks widely on fossil fuels and climate change, and is the author of This Crazy Time: Living Our Environmental Challenge. In 2019, Tzeporah was awarded the Climate Breakthrough Award of $2 million dollars to develop a bold new global climate strategy. In 2021, she gave a widely viewed TED Talk presenting the case for a global treaty to phase out fossil fuels, and in 2024 she was named among TIME’s 100 Most Influential Climate Leaders. Twitter: @ tzeporah
Confirmed Speakers, with more to be announced, include:
Célia Xakriabá (Xakriabá), Federal Deputy in Brazilian Congress in the State of Minas Gerais, and Co-founder, National Association of Indigenous Women Warriors of Ancestry (ANMIGA), 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, with 101,078 votes. She has a Master’s degree in sustainable development from the University of Brasilia, and is part of the Articulation Rosalino Gomes, present in the North of Minas Gerais, being one of the founders 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. At COP28, she launched the Planet Caucus, a campaign to defend Indigenous rights, the climate and biodiversity.
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Cielo Krisel Lagman, Deputy Minority Leader, House of Representatives, Philippines, Global Steering Committee member for Asia, Parliamentarians for a Fossil Free Future (ParlFossilFree) Network, Philippines
MP Cielo Krisel Lagman is a member of the Global Steering Committee of the Parliamentarians for a Fossil Free Future (ParlFossilFree) Network. She represents the 1st District of Albay in the 20th Congress, where she serves as a House Deputy Minority Leader. MP Krisel champions a progressive agenda rooted in social justice and urgent climate action. Drawing on her extensive tenure as the long-serving Mayor of Tabaco City in Albay province that is at the heart of the country's typhoon belt, she honed a hands-on approach to disaster risk reduction and management and resilience, successfully steering her community through frequent super typhoons. Now on the national stage, she leverages her province’s status as a hub for a just transition to renewable energy, integrating sustainable development and environmental protection with her core fight for healthcare, education, and the welfare of vulnerable communities constantly threatened by the climate crisis.
Daniela Durán González, Head of International Affairs, Colombian Ministry of Environmental and Sustainable Development, Colombia
Head of International Affairs at the Ministry of Environment of Colombia. Sociologist with a Master’s degree in Environment and Development from the London School of Economics and Political Science and a Chevening Scholar, with ten years of experience bridging environmental activism and multilateral diplomacy. She served as Head of Delegation at COP30, Lead Negotiator at the United Nations Environment Assembly for the resolution on critical minerals, and Co-Chair of SB8(j) under the Convention on Biological Diversity, among others. Her work has combined grassroots advocacy with high-level negotiations on climate change, biodiversity, plastics, and chemicals and waste, including advising governments, Indigenous Peoples, and civil society coalitions in complex international processes. Currently she coordinates the First Conference on Transitioning Away from Fossil Fuels from the Colombian Government.
Esther Nicholas Matiko, Member of Parliament of Tanzania, Global Steering Committee member for Africa, Parliamentarians for a Fossil Free Future (ParlFossilFree) Network, Tanzania
MP Esther Nicholas Matiko is a member of the Global Steering Committee of the Parliamentarians for a Fossil Free Future (ParlFossilFree) Network. She is a Tanzanian Member of Parliament representing Tarime Urban Constituency and currently serving her fourth term since 2010. She is a member of the Budget Standing Committee of Parliament and the Chairperson of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA), Tanzania Chapter. She also serves as Chairperson and Steering Committee Member of the Tanzanian Parliamentary Friends of Environment (TAPAFE) caucus. Coming from a country endowed with significant natural gas resources, she advocates for responsible management of fossil fuels while balancing economic development, environmental sustainability, and a just energy transition.
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Nessa Cosgrove, Senator in the 27th Seanad House, Recent Councillor on Sligo County Council, Ireland
Bio coming soon!
Olivia Bisa Tirko (Chapra), President, Autonomous Territorial Government of the Chapra Nation (GTANCH), Peru
Olivia Bisa Tirko is the first woman president of the Autonomous Territorial Government of the Chapra Nation in the Peruvian Amazon. Her leadership has broken down barriers in the governance of the Chapra people, inspiring women and youth to take pride in their Chapra identity and to stand up against predatory oil companies. In 2025, Olivia Bisa received the Latin America Environmental and Climate Justice Award for her outstanding leadership in protecting the Amazon rainforest and opposing oil exploitation.
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Pepetua Latasi, Director of the Department of Climate Change and Disaster, Office of the Prime Minister of Tuvalu, Tuvalu
Bio coming soon!
3:45 PM | Building a Just Transition
Confirmed Speakers, with more to be announced, include:
Ayshka Najib, Just Transition Lead and Campaign Coordinator, People's Climate Diplomacy Program, United Arab Emirates (UAE)
Ayshka Najib is a climate justice activist working at the intersections of gender and climate and currently serves as the Just Transition Lead and Campaign Coordinator for the People's Climate Diplomacy Program. She is a youth champion for the Fossil Fuel Treaty Initiative calling for a global, equitable phase out of fossil fuels. She is also part of the Women and Gender Constituency (WGC) following the progress of the Just Transition Work Program and advocating for a gender just transition.
Eriel Tchekwie Deranger (Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation), President, Indigenous Climate Action (ICA), and 2024 Climate Breakthrough Award Winner, Turtle Island/Canada
Eriel Tchekwie Deranger is a Dënesųłiné mother from the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation (ACFN) and the President and co-founder of Indigenous Climate Action (ICA), an Indigenous-led climate justice organization in so-called Canada. Deranger is a member of the International Indigenous Peoples Forum on Climate Change, and sits on various boards including Bioneers, It Takes Roots Leadership Council, Climate Justice Resiliency Fund Council of Advisors, and WWF Canada; and was a founding member of the Global Indigenous Youth Caucus. In 2024, Deranger was awarded the Climate Breakthrough Award, the single-largest climate philanthropy program for individuals—and the Woven Project was born. Drawing together representatives from the seven socio-cultural regions of the world, Woven formed the first-ever Global Indigenous Advisory Council (GIAC), amplifying regional, grassroots movements to create a global impact.
Giulia Laganà, Director, Just Transition and Climate Department at International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), Belgium
Bio coming soon!
Majo Andrade Cerda (Kichwa), Member of the Council of CONFENIAE, Leader of the Economy and Community Development area, Member of the Kichwa peoples of Serena, Federation of Napo Indigenous Organizations (FOIN), Ecuador
María José Andrade Cerda is an Indigenous young woman from the Kichwa community of Serena, in Ecuador. She belongs to the Yuturi Warmi, the first Indigenous women guard in the province of Napo organized to defend their territory in the Ecuadorian Amazon. She is also part of the Runa Yachay, a community school led by Indigenous youth. She leads the economic and community development area in the council of the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of the Ecuadorian Amazon (CONFENIAE), an affiliate organization of the Coordinator of Indigenous Organizations of the Amazon Basin (COICA). María José also directed the Youth Council of the Federation of Indigenous Organisations of Napo (FOIN), which seeks the integration of Indigenous youth in decision-making spaces. She works to promote the International Indigenous Youth Forum on Climate Change in order to achieve greater participation of Indigenous youth leaders in the UNFCCC. At the UN Climate Change Conference (COP28) World Climate Action Summit Presidency event, María José delivered a high-level address from Indigenous Peoples to world leaders, sharing powerful stories and wisdom, emphasizing the vital role of Indigenous knowledge and practices in preserving biodiversity, and the role of women in the transmission of this knowledge.
Mela Chiponda, Director, SHINE Collab, Zimbabwe
Mela Chiponda is the Director of The Shine Collab, which works at the intersection of gender and energy justice to create community-driven, renewable, just energy solutions. As a leader in the feminist energy space, she has consistently raised her voice around the issue of critical minerals and human rights as part of just transition conversations.
Tasneem Essop, Executive Director, Climate Action Network - International (CAN-I), South Africa
Tasneem Essop is currently the Executive Director of Climate Action Network International (CAN-I). She served two terms, a total of 10 years, as a Commissioner in the National Planning Commission in South Africa, appointed by the President, where she led the work on Climate Change and the Just Transition. She previously headed the climate team in WWF International and served as the Head of Delegation for the organisation at the UNFCCC right through to the COP in Paris. She became a Member of the Provincial Parliament in the Western Cape in 1994 after the first democratic elections in South Africa and went on to hold the positions of Provincial Minister of Transport, Public Works and Property Management from 2001 to 2004 and Provincial Minister for the Environment, Planning and Economic Development from 2004 to 2008 when she resigned from official politics.
EVENT PARTNERS
Please see below the logos and links for partners of the Women's Momentum Assembly!
Perspectives, mission and values of all partner organizations are their own.