Women4Climate mentorship scheme will support hundreds of young women leaders to deliver urgent climate action in cities around the world
Women mayors, business leaders, innovators and campaigners gather at Paris City Hall for 3rd annual Women4Climate conference
Paris, France (21 Feb. 2019) — The Mayors of Sydney, Australia; Lisbon, Portugal; Quito, Ecuador; Montreal, Canada, and Paris, France, today announced plans for new mentorship schemes to support the next generation of women climate leaders in their cities. Similar schemes will also launch in the coming weeks in Barcelona, Spain; Auckland New Zealand and Vancouver, Canada. Speaking at the third annual Women4Climate conference, held at Paris City Hall, the mayors launched the latest series of Women4Climate mentorship schemes, which will see 10 emerging climate leaders in each city matched with mayors, city officials, and committed leaders from the business sector, international organizations and civil society.
Sydney, Lisbon, Barcelona, Auckland and Vancouver will launch Women4Climate mentorship schemes for the first time. Quito and Montreal will launch their second edition and Paris will roll out the third edition of the Women4Climate mentorship programme in the city.
The Women4Climate Mentorship Programme will match mayors, committed leaders from the business sector, international organizations and civil society with emerging women leaders. Each woman selected for the scheme will receive training that highlights skills development, addresses barriers, and inspires deeper engagement with climate change. Full details on how to apply to the Women4Climate Mentorship Programmes can be found here. Applications are open to individuals, may they be startupers, researchers, students, activists or NGO leaders.
L’Oréal and ELLE Magazine are the founding partner of the Women4Climate initiative and has committed to the success of the mentorship programme by leveraging its own women leaders to participate in the scheme.
“I’m delighted that Paris, for the third year running, will welcome another 10 inspiring young women leaders into our Women4Climate mentorship scheme” said Anne Hidalgo, Mayor of Paris and Chair of C40. “The climate strikes currently taking place on the streets of our cities are being led by teenage girls. At Paris City Hall today we heard from brilliant young women from cities around the world determined to deliver on the ambition of the Paris Agreement. There is no doubt that the Women are taking the Lead in delivering the future we want and the future we trust.”
“Climate action is the City of Sydney’s top priority. Working together, women leaders from government, business and the community are transforming our cities. We’re reducing the impact our urban centres have on the environment, while designing, building and governing places where people want to live” said Lord Mayor of Sydney, Clover Moore. We know that women are disproportionately impacted by climate change, and we know that women leaders are both determined and effective. That’s why we are excited to host the 2020 Women4Climate conference and to participate in the mentoring program, to support current and emerging women leaders to become experts in driving accelerated action on climate change.”
“Lisbon is proudly joining C40 Women4Climate initiative with a program starting in 2020,” said Fernando Medina, Mayor of Lisbon. “This is a testament of our commitment to climate action but also to an increasingly fair and equal society where women can be decision makers and leaders in any field. Lisbon Municipality's workforce is composed of 41,9% women. But in leadership positions 56,5% are women, and we would like this trend to be the norm in other areas of activity. Developing the Women4Climate program in Lisbon allows us to foster the climate leadership we need so desperately in the very near future, in areas such as education, research or innovation and entrepreneurship.”
“At L’Oréal we decided to be a founding partner of the Women4Climate global initiative to contribute to the empowerment of the next generation of women leaders in fighting climate change. As a global beauty company, we have a unique perspective on how climate change affects women – from those who produce our raw materials to those who consume our products. Women will play a critical role in tackling climate change. Women will play a critical role in tackling climate change. It is our responsibility to empower and support them,” said Alexandra Palt, L’Oréal’s Chief Corporate Responsibility Officer and Executive Vice-President of the L’Oréal Foundation.
“At ELLE, we have been supporting the development of the Women4Climate mentorship scheme since its inception in 2017 and we’re delighted to see more and more cities supporting these incredible young women. The mentorship experience boosts their self-confidence and strengthens the development of their projects to feature them as future climate champions. " said Valeria Bessolo Llopiz, Senior Vice-President / International Director at ELLE International. "For two years in a row, I participated as a mentor in Paris: it is a rewarding and positive experience not only because the next generation are very much ready to adapt their behaviour to benefit us all, but also because their passion and drive to improve our current climate situation is inspiring.”
At the third annual Women4Climate Conference, Mayor of Paris and Chair of C40, Anne Hidalgo has brought together fellow mayors of the world’s leading cities, CEOs, climate experts and inspiring young women leaders to demonstrate and accelerate the power of women who are committed to creating a healthier, greener and more economically prosperous future. Amongst the inspiring speakers on stage at the event are several women that have participated in the Women4Climate Mentorship schemes in Paris, Quito, London, Mexico City, Tel-Aviv Yafo and Montreal.