Momentum Towards Greater Participation and Leadership of Women at COP28: Lessons from the June 2023 Bonn Climate Conference (SB58)

As the UN climate negotiations at COP28 in Dubai are underway, and information on delegation composition abounds based on provisional data, let’s look at the progress on women’s participation using the most recent negotiations for which data is final—those held in Bonn in June 2023 (SB58). WEDO has been tracking women’s participation in Party delegations since 2008, and the Gender Climate Tracker features these women’s participation statistics on the app and website.

As we delve into the insights and data from SB58, it becomes clear that gradual progress on women’s participation has been made, yet substantial challenges persist. As we illuminate both the advancement and disparities, we also seek to catalyze meaningful action for a more equitable future of climate policy decision-making, especially as we reflect on the upcoming participation statistics for COP28.

Participants in WEDO’s Women Delegates Program receive training on the UNFCCC negotiation process at SB58.

SB58: A Brief Overview

Subsidiary Bodies’ meetings (SBs) and the Conference of the Parties (COP) are both part of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) process for creating international climate change policy. The SBs, negotiation sessions (intersessionals) between COPs — often held in Bonn, Germany — serve as preparatory meetings, laying the groundwork for the decisions to be made during COPs by all Parties to the UNFCCC. Both spaces have a marked disparity between men’s and women’s participation, with COP meetings reflecting particularly persistent incongruences. Likewise, women’s representation in Party delegations and high-level leadership positions, such as Heads of Delegation, remains lower than desired in both spaces. This year’s Bonn intersessionals showcase a similar trend.

Examining SB58 Participation

The latest statistics on women’s participation in SB58, based on the Final List of Participants, indicate substantive progress toward gender balance in the negotiations:

• Women represented 48% of all in-person participants for Parties, marking an all-time high for in-person negotiations.
• Women accounted for 39% of Head of Delegations, achieving an all-time high.
• Women represented 61% of all virtual participants for Parties.

Let’s consider these numbers in the context of these negotiations, though, in comparison to COP.

The intersessionals, while a vital part of the UNFCCC process where key technical work is completed, holds less power for shaping international climate change policy compared to COP meetings. Let’s explore the differences between the meetings:

1. Size: The scale of intersessionals is notably smaller than that of COP meetings. Using the UNFCCC’s Final List of Participants, the in-person participation of Party delegates during this year’s intersessional reached 2,272 participants, compared to 1,785 in the previous year. These numbers remain significantly lower than the massive participation seen at COP meetings. For instance, COP27 had 11,955 in-person delegates, and COP26 attracted 9,731 delegates. COP28 is expected to have more than 100,000 participants, making it the largest COP ever. While not all these Party delegates may enter the negotiating rooms, with many engaging in the other activities that make a COP a huge climate gathering, Party delegates are the best proxy we have for negotiators.
2. High-Level Negotiations: While the intersessionals are vital preparatory events for COPs, they do not possess the authority to adopt new legally binding agreements, such as the Kyoto Protocol and the Paris Agreement, or make final decisions on major climate policies under the UNFCCC and these agreements. COPs are the conferences where Parties convene to adopt decisions, frameworks, and drafts. These may be developed or advanced during the Intersessionals via consensus. The impact of COP, consequently, is more significant.
3. Political Influence: COP meetings hold greater political influence on the global stage. They command widespread media attention, draw in high-level government representatives, including ministries and heads of state, and serve as a platform for launching essential components of the international climate policy sphere.

Comparing Women’s Participation at Bonn and COP

The persistent progress in women’s participation in recent intersessionals, then, must be compared to the stagnation of progress at COP. From 2013 to 2023, the average percentage of women among all Party delegates at in-person intersessionals each year is 42%, while that average for COPs from 2013 to 2012 is 35%.[1] The most recent years showed the most distinct differences between both meetings, with SB58 reaching 48% women’s participation after 46% the year before, while COP27 Party delegates were only 35% women and gender-diverse people.[2] Women’s participation for the virtual, unofficial Intersessionals in 2021 was 48%, while COP26 participation was 35%. For 2019 and 2018, the intersessionals in Bonn reached 43% and 44%, respectively, while COP reached 37% and 38%, respectively (with 38% being the all-time high for COP). No meeting has ever surpassed 48% women’s participation. At this rate, COP will not reach 50% women’s participation until some time in the decade 2040 to 2050.

Figure 1. Percentage of Women on UNFCCC Party Delegations for the Intersessionals during the last ten years as seen in the Gender Climate Tracker.

Figure 2. Percentage of Women on UNFCCC Party Delegations for COP during the last ten years as seen in the Gender Climate Tracker.

Disparities between intersessionals and COP also persist for women as Heads of Delegation (HoD) with that same intersessional advancement towards gender balance. There were 39% women among the HoDs at SB58 compared to 36% in 2022 and 29% in 2019. (The 37% achieved in 2021 was the year in which the intersessionals were virtual and unofficial.) The stark contrast to COP meetings is evident: only 20% of HoDs at COP27 were women, compared to 13% at COP26 and 21% at COP25.

Only one HoD is indicated for each Party in the Final List of Participants, as the first delegate recorded, so while this information does not consider the multiplicity of leadership roles within and across delegations, both formal and informal, it is notable that the percentage of women as HoDs is always less than women as delegates. The lag hovers around 10 percentage points for intersessionals — SB58’s 48% women delegates to 39% HoDs as a perfect example — but is often greater for COPs. The percentage of women as Heads of Delegation at COP is quite variable, and that may be connected to the likelihood of holding higher political office, beyond the climate sphere. Higher-profile COPs with higher-level officials noted as the HoD tend to have lower percentages of women as HOD.

Figure 3. Percentage of Women Heads of Delegation for the Bonn Intersessionals during the last ten years as seen in the Gender Climate Tracker.

Figure 4. Percentage of Women Heads of Delegation for COP during the last ten years as seen in the Gender Climate Tracker.

What about virtual participation?

As mentioned, the 2023 intersessional virtual participation option, offered for the first-time at an in-person negotiation for participants who could not attend in-person[3], showed women’s participation higher than any in-person negotiation session (61%). The number of Party delegates participating virtually, though, was small (171 delegates compared to 2,272 in-person participants), and this pilot program does not provide for equal participation in the negotiations compared to being there in person. This is a space with relatively less power. In 2021, when the entire intersessional was an unofficial, non-negotiating virtual session, women’s participation also reached heights not previously seen: 48%.

Women’s higher rate of participation in virtual conferences may be attributed to several factors related to virtual settings being more flexible and accessible, allowing women to overcome traditional barriers that have hindered their participation at in-person events. The elimination of travel constraints significantly reduces financial burdens and caregiving responsibilities, enabling more women to engage actively. Additionally, virtual conferences may provide a safer and more comfortable environment for women to contribute their perspectives and expertise, as they may face fewer gender-related biases or cultural barriers when participating. The higher women’s participation in virtual spaces may demonstrate women Party delegates’ desire to participate when there are enabling, conducive conditions.

Positive trends also do not necessarily indicate women are participating equally, fully and/or meaningfully.[4] Physical participation does not equal substantive participation, if men continue holding the floor more frequently and having greater influence over decisions.[5]

Key takeaways:

1. Spaces with progress in women’s participation hold less power for shaping climate policy: Intersessionals, although crucial, have less decision-making power than COP meetings. Recognizing and reflecting the key differences between these spaces, and how that affects women’s participation, allows for the intentional cultivation of gender balance within party delegations, as well as the development of full, meaningful, and equal participation.
2. Virtual spaces can be catalysts for change: The increased involvement of women in virtual conferences stems from the adaptable and accessible nature of virtual settings, dismantling traditional barriers, while also fostering a more inclusive and comfortable space. Increasing women’s participation also means considering the continuous improvement of this engagement option.
3. Progress isn’t a straight path: Women’s participation reached a record 48% in Bonn in 2023, as well as 39% women as Heads of Delegations, but data shows a more complex picture when considering COP. The recognition of progress, as well as the challenges, lead to more concrete, data-driven advocacy.

WEDO’s Women’s Participation Brief also highlights key recommendations to achieve higher numbers of collective participation.

WEDO’s Gender Climate Tracker is both an App (found in the App Store and Google Play) and a website created for decision-makers, negotiators, and advocates to have on-the-go access to the latest information on research, decisions and actions related to gender and climate change, particularly within the United Nations Framework Climate Change Convention (UNFCCC) process.

[1] The overall percentage of women delegates among all Party delegates was totaled for all intersessionals within a given year, with the number of intersessionals varying from one to four, and the years averaged; each COP was given equal weight despite the vast differences in numbers of Party delegates.

[2] COP27 was the first time “Mx.” was offered as a registration option that was captured in the Final List of Participants, and this percentage total includes the two delegates with that title. “Women” is used in this analysis otherwise because of the limitations associated with this dataset.

[3] Virtual participation post-pandemic had not previously been offered unless delegates were planning to be at the physical venue and had to quarantine, etc.; it was not a choice of type of participation prior to the negotiations nor was a virtual participation list produced.

[4] As mentioned in Decision 3/CP.25, the UNFCCC’s Gender Action Plan “seeks to achieve and sustain the full, equal and meaningful participation of women in the UNFCCC process.”

[5] UNFCCC Gender Composition Report.