Dear Friend,

Greetings from Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, where the COP27 United Nations Conference on Climate Change has just begun. For years, Grassroots International has joined and supported social movements like La Via Campesina and the alliances that are part of It Takes Roots¹ in "inside-outside" processes involving both protesting and organizing outside the conference and inserting frontline voices into official proceedings to challenge the status quo.

Given the repressive el-Sisi regime in Egypt, which has been responsible for mass detentions and human rights abuses against domestic and international activists, protesting is less of an option. So this year we're joining our partners and allies to fight for space and a voice inside COP27, while supporting the calls to free all political prisoners in Egypt² and amplifying the messages and struggles of movements far beyond the conference. Alongside and in support of our social movement partners, we’re raising real solutions to climate disruption, led by Indigenous Peoples, peasants, and Black/Afro-descendant communities — and combating corporate-driven false solutions that dominate the conference. 

Without entertaining any illusions about the COP27 process, we are firm in our conviction that those most impacted by the climate crisis hold the solutions and must speak for themselves. We are honored to support the participation of social movement delegations of frontline Black, Indigenous, and other communities of color from various parts of the Americas, Africa, and the Middle East. We are also excited to be there ourselves, accompanying and collaborating with these and a host of other partners and allies.

To learn more about the issues we’re uplifting at COP, check out this recent article by Naomi Klein, this newly released report on Climate Finance by Indigenous Environmental Network, this call to action for a Climate Just Transition by La Via Campesina, and the latest version of the comprehensive report Hoodwinked in the Hothouse: Resist False Solutions to Climate Change, which we’re proud to support. 

And stay tuned for more! Be sure to follow us on social media, where we’ll be providing updates from the conference over the next two weeks. Check out our Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook for photos, quotes and videos from COP27.

In solidarity,

Salena Tramel
Senior Global Learning Coordinator, Grassroots International

[1] Including Indigenous Environmental Network, Grassroots Global Justice Alliance, Climate Justice Alliance, and more.

[2] Sign and share this petition to free political prisoner Alaa Abd el-Fattah

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