Italian Climate Network – Climate & Human Rights Department 2015-2022

Written on 15 August 2015.

Born as an in-depth column in 2015, the success of the "Women, Rights and Climate" initiative has turned its activity into a stable Section of Italian Climate Network (ICN). The group has been renamed over time into Climate and Human Rights Department and carries out activities aiming at analysing the link between climate change and human rights, with a defined focus on gender issues. As Department Coordinator, I develop activities on the consequences of climate change on people’s lives, analysing how to alleviate the struggle of vulnerable groups from a human rights perspective. In the same capacity, I have been participating in the UNFCCC climate negotiations since 2015, monitoring the human rights principles integration in the implementation of the Paris Agreement and Paris Rule Book, participating in the advocacy activities of the Women and Gender Constituency and collaborating with the Inter-Constituencies Human Rights Working Group. Thanks to the experience I gained at the UNFCCC and in recognition of my successful application for the UN ECOSOC consultative status, in 2019 I have started working also in a Policy Advisor capacity, using the ECOSOC consultative status to monitor how climate change issues are integrated into UN spaces traditionally dedicated to human rights. 

Key Responsibilities and Achievements

• Collaborating with the Women and Gender Constituency and the Human Rights Working Group on monitoring and reporting on the UNFCCC talks, advocacy work within the UNFCCC including drafting of official manifestos and statements, peaceful demonstrative actions organisation (since 2015)
• Authored 50+ articles and reports (COPs’ outcomes, climate justice, just transition, human rights…)
• Spokesperson for the Women and Gender Constituency, UNFCCC COP23 closing Plenary
• Representative for the Women and Gender Constituency, UNFCCC COP24 COP Presidency question time
• Monitor how climate change issues are integrated into UN spaces traditionally dedicated to human rights (UN Partnership Forum 2022, United Nations Environmental Assembly (UNEA-5), Commission on the Status of Women (CSW66), High-Level Political Forum 2022)

For more information please visit Italian Climate Network’s website.