Global Call for Equitable Climate Finance is an initiative by the Ministry of Environment and Water, Sofia University, and the Green Transition Forum for equitable climate finance to empower women in tackling the climate crisis

Deputy Minister Reneta Koleva hosted an event on women and climate justice finance at the Bulgarian Pavilion at the COP29 global climate meeting in Baku, Azerbaijan, with the participation of world leaders from different spheres of public life committed to women's empowerment and climate finance.

Deputy Minister Koleva opened the panel discussion on "Women and Equitable Climate Finance", which outlined the interconnection between climate change and women, focusing on 4 key roles that women play in society: mothers, working women, entrepreneurs, and change agents in civil society in the area of climate initiatives and their financing.

"Climate change affects everyone, but women are disproportionately so. They are often the ones responsible for protecting their families, neighbourhoods, and communities from the impacts. To tackle the climate crisis, we must make sure women are recognised, heard, and empowered in shaping our climate future. They are innovators, leaders, and key agents of change at every level - from families to governments, to the boardrooms of international corporations." With these words, Reneta Koleva addressed the participants - leaders from national and local governments, international organisations, the academia, and the NGO sector.

The discussion was attended by Ivelina Vassileva - Advisor to the Prime Minister of the Republic of Bulgaria, Monika Stanisheva - Chair of the Board of the Green Transition Forum, Jessica Attard - Deputy Director of the Centre for Sustainable Finance at the University of Cambridge, Helena McLeod - Deputy Director General of the Global Green Growth Institute, and other prominent names in the field of sustainable finance, climate change, and women. The event was moderated by Marina Stefanova, Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Economics at Sofia University.

Referring to the words of UN Women Executive Director Sima Bacchus that "only 0.01% of global funding goes to projects that address both climate and women's rights", Deputy Minister Koleva pointed out that "this is not just a gap - it is a call to action".

“The Global Call for Equitable Climate Finance: a Declaration for Change” was presented. It is an initiative by the Ministry of Environment and Water, Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski" and the Green Transition Forum, whose main goal is to establish a long-term commitment to provide climate finance that will contribute to environmental sustainability and equitable transition for all. The initiators have already extended an invitation to all legal entities and natural persons to support the initiative by joining the global network https://www.womenclimatefinance.eu and as followers on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/global-call-for-equitable-climate-finance/posts/?feedView=all.

The project aims to create the conditions for equitable climate finance to empower women and enable them to actively participate in addressing the climate crisis. The Global Call for Equitable Climate Finance advocates for policies that put women at the centre of climate decision-making. In a world where climate risks disproportionately affect vulnerable groups, especially women, this initiative seeks to provide financial mechanisms that empower them as leaders, entrepreneurs, and catalysts for change.