Five themes

From knowledge and struggle to a global voice

The five themes follow one arc: from knowledge and struggle, to solutions and resources, to the next generation and the power of culture, to a global voice. Each is introduced in the opening panel and explored in depth in its own workshop.

01

Women's Knowledge and Leadership

Civil society at the frontlines of climate justice

Local and traditional knowledge (seed saving, water and forest stewardship, food sovereignty); women-led ecological movements in Anatolia such as Akbelen and the Ida Mountains; turning local struggles into policy demands; the care economy as climate infrastructure; protecting environmental defenders and civic space.

Guiding questions

  • What knowledge do women in local communities hold that climate policy is still missing?
  • How have women-led movements in Turkey and elsewhere moved from resistance to building alternatives?
  • What does it take for grassroots knowledge to shape decisions rather than being consulted symbolically?
  • How can civil society organisations protect and strengthen the women defending forests, rivers and commons?
  • Which alliances, with academia, media or local governments, have proven most effective?
02

Women Building Climate Solutions

Green and social entrepreneurship

Women-led businesses in renewable energy, regenerative agriculture and the circular economy; access to green finance and gender-lens investing; the role of banks and corporations in a just transition; partnerships between business and civil society; turning ESG commitments into measurable impact.

Guiding questions

  • What are the most promising climate solutions being built by women entrepreneurs today?
  • What stands between women-led climate ventures and the finance they need, and what can banks and investors do differently?
  • How can large companies move from sustainability reporting to real partnerships with women's cooperatives and social enterprises?
  • What does a just transition mean in practice for a business: for its workers, suppliers and communities?
  • What concrete commitment could the business leaders in this room make before COP31?
03

The Next Generation

Young women leading for climate justice

Young women's climate movements in Turkey and around the world; intergenerational justice and the right to a liveable future; youth participation in decision-making, including the UNFCCC youth constituency; green skills, education and decent jobs; digital activism and new forms of organising; turning climate anxiety into collective action and hope.

Guiding questions

  • How can young women move from being consulted to sharing real power in climate decisions?
  • What can experienced women leaders and young activists learn from each other, and how do we build lasting mentorship between generations?
  • How do we turn climate anxiety into collective action and hope?
  • What skills, jobs and resources do young women need to lead the just transition?
  • How can the voices of young women from Turkey be heard in Antalya and beyond?
04

The Power of Art

Women's creativity for climate justice

Art and storytelling as tools to make the climate crisis visible and to imagine alternatives; women artists and ecological art in Anatolia and beyond; traditional knowledge carried in crafts, textiles, music and food; art in public space, campaigns and community mobilisation; the role of cultural institutions and sponsors.

Guiding questions

  • How can art and storytelling reach people that data and reports cannot?
  • What can women artists teach us about imagining, and building, a just future?
  • How can the traditional knowledge carried in crafts, textiles, music and food be protected and passed on?
  • How can cultural institutions and sponsors support artists working for climate justice?
  • How can art become part of this gathering's commitments and travel with them to COP31?
05

From Istanbul to COP31

Global women's solidarity for climate justice

The UNFCCC negotiation process and the Belém Gender Action Plan; how women's voices reach the negotiating table; connecting Anatolian struggles with movements in the Amazon, Africa, the Pacific and the Arctic; Turkey's role as COP31 host; building networks that outlast a single conference.

Guiding questions

  • What should women's movements expect from COP31, and where can they make the biggest difference?
  • How can the Gender Action Plan move from commitments on paper to implementation and funding?
  • What can movements in Turkey learn from women's climate struggles in other regions, and what can they offer?
  • How do we keep a solidarity network alive after the conference ends?
  • What one message should this gathering carry from Istanbul to Antalya?
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