We were thrilled to receive the Silver Rose Award for Just Transition during the high-level award ceremony with policymakers in Brussels on the 4th of December 2024. Accepting the award on behalf of the whole WECF community were Executive Director, Sascha Gabizon, and Melano Tskhvaradze, Project Coordinator from WECF Georgia.  

The award was primarily co-organized by Solidar, a European network of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) S&D Group in the European Parliament, the Party of European Socialists (PES), the Foundation of European Progressive Studies (FEPS), the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC), PES Women and the Young European Socialists.  A big thank you to Giorgia Gusciglio and Ludovico Caminati Engstrom for facilitating the organization of the award! 

The Silver Rose Award Ceremony  

In a large room with pink roses pictured everywhere, the Silver Rose Award Ceremony kicked off with a buzzing reception and an opening speech by SOLIDAR’s secretary General Mikael Leyi, who continued to moderate the award. After a few speeches by SOLIDAR President Anne van Lancker and PES Deputy Secretary General Saar van Bueren, Isabelle Schöman, Deputy General Secretary of the European Trade Union Confederation, introduced WECF, highlighting the power of having a women-led organization celebrated for their engagement with trade unions and just transition.  

To showcase our mission and work, the following video was shown to the audience: 

Produced by Homam Daoud and SOLIDAR. 

Accepting the award on behalf of our whole community were Executive Director Sascha Gabizon, and our Programme Coordinator Melano Tskhvaradze from WECF Georgia, accepted the award on behalf of our whole community. See our press release of the award, and watch the full speech here.

In her speech, Sascha delineated our collaborations with trade union movements on a global level: 

“We have worked a lot with trade union movements, especially on the global level, where we negotiate for climate justice, s development justice, and just transition. We specifically advocate for ending gender-based violence in the workplace, for the care economy and feminist environmental justice. With this award, we are thankful for the recognition that solidarity, sustainability and gender justice go hand in hand in the fight for a better world, and against escalation of anti-rights groups.”  

Melano, during her speech, took the stage to emphasize the urgent need for the EU to support Georgia, as it is experiencing unprecedented police violence against demonstrators and journalists, human rights violations and far-right gender backlashes:  

“Today extreme police violence,   is being used against the demonstrators on the streets of Tbilisi and in other towns. If this State violence can’t be stopped in Georgia now, it might emerge across Europe gradually. We need the EU to invest much more in targeting the disinformation from Russia and to support civil society in our countries with flexible funding and needs-based support. Our knowledge of resistance might be very useful for Europe, as more and more far-right governments are emerging, we need to work together. We are fighting multiple crises, such as anti-gender and anti-climate movements. The recognition that comes with this Silver Rose Award will give us strength to continue to raise our voices and fight for justice.” 

Following WECF, two more awards were distinguished: the Lifetime Achievement Award to Nicolas Schmit, outgoing European Commissioner for Jobs and Social Justice, and the Solidar Legacy Prize for Social Justice to the late Glenys Kinnock, former MEP. Nicolas Schmit emphasized the importance of social democratic movements and supporting worker’s rights, while Stephen Kinnock, the son of Glenys Kinnock, gave a moving speech honouring the pivotal social justice work and strong spirit of his mother.  

Closing the ceremony, where the Vice-President of the S&D Group for a Feminist Europe, MEP Helene Fritzon, and the YES Secretary General Sofie Amalie Stage. All speakers of the event called for solidarity and action during these times of environmental and social conflicts, and the importance of having women lead the movement towards a more progressive, sustainable and feminist society. In the words of Mikeal Leyi; “People spend too much time debating if the glass is half full or empty. I say, just drink the damn glass!”.  

The evening ended with networking and celebration, facilitating conversations between WECF and members of the European parliament, Progressive and socialist political parties, and other Civil Society Organizations.  

WECF: Our Community Celebrates!  

The WECF community are excited about this award, as it holds a symbolic weight in acknowledging the vital work each one of our partners, staff, volunteers and board members do. We are an international community filled with passionate activists aligned in their goal to create a feminist future and more sustainable society. For this reason, the ecofeminist colleagues of WECF were highlighted in this reel.

Whilst this award is a wonderful celebration of the work done so far, we will continue to advocate for the importance of an intersectional, feminist approach to ongoing global environmental and social crises. As 2025 is fast approaching, what is our path forward?  

Well – we will continue to:  

1. Mobilise for hope – and more interconnected movement building.  Only together can we hold the line on anti-gender and anti-rights actors. That means looking beyond our usual suspects for collaboration and resistance. 
2. Continue to hold the decision-makers in our region accountable to their commitments and for their historic responsibilities, and push for regulations that can tackle the global inequalities caused by the previous and ongoing actions by actors in our region.  
3. We envision a regenerative feminist future—a world grounded in equity and justice, where the systems that uphold patriarchy, colonialism, extractivism, and capitalism are dismantled, allowing humanity to thrive in balance with the planet. This future is about creating inclusive, sustainable communities that prioritise care, mutual resilience, and ecological restoration. By centring voices from marginalised communities and fostering collective well-being, it’s about moving beyond survival – to building a world where creativity, solidarity, and harmony with each other and our planet, is at the core. 

As gender equality, climate change and civil spaces face escalating challenges, WECF stands firm in their fight for a toxic-free, climate-just and ecofeminist future.