Ms. Thompson has become one of the recognized leaders on environmental issues of the Small Island Developing States.

During her time as Minister of Energy and the Environment of Barbados, she enacted a range of progressive policies for sustainable development and environmental protection. She also became a key voice to raise awareness of global warming in Barbados - a country where the challenges of climate change and conservation are of particular relevance.

Ms. Thompson has also played a role in environmental awareness and protection across the Caribbean region. She has encouraged small island states to diversify their economies, undertake sustainability assessments, and promote community-based programmes that have positive environmental impacts.

Born in Gujarat, India, Tulsi Tanti is the Chairman of Suzlon Energy Ltd, the fifth largest wind turbine manufacturer in the world and the largest in Asia. After graduating in commerce and mechanical engineering, Tulsi Tanti started a textile business and decided to invest in two wind turbines in 1990 due to power unavailability in the area. Suzlon Energy Ltd currently possesses 17.000 MW of wind energy capacity installed in 18 countries and it has demonstrated that renewables not only represent a profound business opportunity, but also contribute significantly to sustainable development and the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. 

Born in Paris, France, and recognized as a member of the Academie des Beaux-Arts, Yann Arthus-Bertrand is a photographer, reporter and environmentalist specializing in wildlife and aerial photography. He has published over 60 books and his photographs have appeared in numerous publications around the world. In 2005, he founded the environmental organization, GoodPlanet, which helps individuals and businesses to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions, increase energy efficiency and use renewable energies. 

As the Minister of the Environment and International Development of Norway, Erik Solheim put into place the Nature Diversity Act and the Norwegian Climate and Forest Initiative, which facilitates close cooperation with Brazil, Indonesia and Guyana to conserve rainforests and provided critical input to the establishment of UN Programme on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (UN-REDD).

Janine Benyus is the Co-founder of Biomimicry 3.8. She is a biologist, innovation consultant, and author of six books, including Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature. Since the book’s 1997 release, Janine’s work as a global thought leader has evolved the practice of biomimicry from a meme to a movement, inspiring clients and innovators around the world to learn from the genius of nature.

Kevin M. Conrad is a Papua New Guinean lawyer and environmentalist, whose efforts have centered on reducing deforestation, strengthening forest conservation and recognizing the value of tropical forest ecosystems. He has made a significant contribution to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) especially the United Nations Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (UN REDD) programme in developing countries. Conrad also represented Papua New Guinea during the 2007 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Bali, where he urged the United States to take leadership on climate change.

In 2004, Ron Gonen co-founded Recyclebank, a company that brings together businesses, schools, communities and individuals to promote household recycling and more sustainable lifestyles. Under his direction, RecycleBank grew from its foundation to a company that services 50 cities and over 1 million households, thereby advancing environmental responsibility and recycling in the United States. To date, Recyclebank has helped to save 98 million gallons of oil and more than one million trees. 

Tena Kebena is a non-governmental organization in Ethiopia that brings together around 80 children and youth who have been mostly orphaned by the HIV/AIDS pandemic. The group cleans up and rehabilitates garbage dumpsites around Addiss Ababa through reforestation. The sites are also used for urban agriculture and the herbal medicines obtained from it are sold to provide funding for the project and for the children’s learning activities. 

The steadfast, committed and selfless work of Dr. Rosa Elena Simeón Negrín has been vital for fostering the notions of sustainability amongst and raising the environmental awareness of Cubans.

She took on a position of leadership, which was to continue for some 20 years, just at a time when the issue of the environment was beginning to feature prominently in the political agenda of Governments and international organizations. She was able to witness, from a unique vantage point, a historic moment at the height of the environmental movement in its modern configuration – which places it in the context of development – and she was able to translate the best of those practices into everyday life in Cuba.

In 1989, she participated, for the first time, in the Forum of Ministers of the Environment of Latin America and the Caribbean, whose sixth meeting took place in Brasilia that year. Since then she has played a prominent role in subsequent regional forums and her presence has been widely recognized.

In addition to directing Cuba’s preparations for the Rio Summit, she also presided over this country’s distinguished delegation, comprising ministers and other dignitaries.

She always had a clear vision of the concept of “thinking globally and acting locally” and this same vision impelled her to attend negotiation meetings, at which she was able to meet the need to act within her own country while being able to speak with authority at every international forum.

In 1994 she participated in the development of the Alliance of Small Island States Summit (AOSIS). By that time, she was already an accomplished international mediator and was able to bring the experience which she had gained from her participation in the Rio Summit to bear on that forum, enriched by her years of valuable work at the national level from the perspective of a developing island State.

The ninth meeting of the Forum of Ministers of the Environment of Latin America and the Caribbean took place in Cuba in 1995. Under Elena Rosa’s presidency, this event marked a significant change in those forums, with a shift towards a more pragmatic approach in the way the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) dealt with environmental problems in the region.

Rosa Elena was in Kyoto in 1997, to participate in the discussion of the Protocol that bears that city’s name, a Protocol which was developed for the purpose of implementing the United Nations Framework Convention on Climatic Change.

She was elected a member of the Bureau of the UNEP Governing Council in 2000, in which office she demonstrated her astute judgement and experience.

She participated in the World Summit on Sustainable Development in South Africa in 2002. Through her presence and pertinent statements she played a key role in ensuring the success of the most important contributions of the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation.
 
In 2003, after her decisive role in the negotiation of its headquarters agreement, she presided over the sixth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, which took place in Havana.

Created under her direct supervision, the Cuban environmental system is based on key values and represents the outcome of a meticulous process of design and development, among which the following are particularly worthy of note:

• Clearly drawn up policies and strategies, which are being constantly improved and provided with the necessary follow-up arrangements;
• A conception of environmental management as the ability to implement environmental policy and to take specific measures in that regard, and to operate in coordination with all the bodies and agencies which are concerned with natural resources and have an influence on the sound use of the environment;
• A regulatory and control system with both national and local dimensions, and an acknowledged and growing capacity for the implementation of environmental legislation;
• A range of services and research, which are continuously expanding into new areas, including by enlisting the cooperation of recognized research bodies with the new environmental training centres, now operating in almost all areas of the country.

It is incumbent on those of us who are followers of the work of Elena Rosa to continue efforts to strengthen it, to follow her ideas and above all her actions, and to remember always her loyalty and respect for Fidel and Raul, as well as her great sensitivity to the wishes of the people.

Summary

WEDO, established in 1990 by former U.S. Congresswoman Bella Abzug (1920-1998) and feminist activist and journalist Mim Kelber (1922-2004), brings together women from all around the world to take action in the United Nations and other international policymaking forums. 
Since its inception, WEDO has been a leader in organizing women for international conferences and actions. As a lead up to the 1992 UN Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), WEDO organized the World Women’s Congress for a Healthy Planet. This Women’s Congress brought together more than 1,500 women from 83 countries to work jointly on a strategy for UNCED. The result of the Women’s Congress was Women’s Action Agenda 21, an outline for a healthy and peaceful planet that was the basis for introducing gender equality in the official UNCED final documents—Agenda 21 and the Rio Declaration. This was an amazing feat that quickly positioned WEDO as a trailblazer in international women’s rights. 
WEDO has built on this experience by mobilizing women’s participation to establish the Women’s Caucus, which advances women’s perspectives at the UN and other forums by proposing amendments to official documents, lobbying delegates, and coordinating political actions. 
WEDO has organized and facilitated the Women's Caucus at key UN conferences such as: UN International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD), Cairo, Egypt, 1994; UN World Conference on Social Development (WSSD), Copenhagen, Denmark, 1995; UN Fourth World Conference on Women (FWCW), Beijing, China, 1995, and UN World Conference on Human Settlements (HABITAT), Istanbul, Türkiye, 1996. 
WEDO owes its successful global activism to its dynamic Board of Directors and Staff, a diverse group of experts and activists. 

Mission and Goals

WEDO is an international organization that advocates for women’s equality in global policy. It seeks to empower women as decision makers to achieve economic, social and gender justice, a healthy, peaceful planet and human rights for all. 
Through the organization’s program areas—Gender and Governance, Sustainable Development, Economic and Social Justice, and U.S. Global PolicyWEDO emphasizes women’s critical role in social, economic and political spheres. 
WEDO’s goals are to:
 
• Advance women’s equality in decision making by pushing for a gender-balance at local, national and global levels;

• Challenge the current economic system and promote a model that seeks to achieve human rights, economic and social justice, gender equality and poverty eradication; 

• Promote multilateralism and international cooperation to advance peace, human rights, and human security. 
In order to achieve these goals, WEDO does advocacy in key global forums such as the UN, supports the efforts of women’s organizations worldwide, and engages U.S. women on foreign policy.