Events

Upcoming and past high-impact solar cooking events 

organized or supported by SCI

The United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW69) Virtual Parallel Event

March 19, 2025 | 9:30 AM PDT / 12:30 PM EDT / 4:30 PM UTC

For millions of women and girls worldwide, the daily task of cooking is a dangerous burden. In homes reliant on polluting fuels like wood, charcoal, and dung, they face harmful smoke exposure, severe health risks, and, for those gathering firewood, increased risks of injury and violence. Solar cookers offer a transformative, clean, and cost-effective alternative. Emitting no pollutants, solar cooking improves health, protects the environment, and empowers women by reducing financial strain through free solar energy. Solar Cookers International (SCI) and special guests from diverse backgrounds explored how solar cooking technology drives gender equality and climate action.

Thank you for your continued support in helping bring clean cooking solutions to communities in need!

Watch the recording here: https://www.solarcookers.org/about/blog/un-csw69-forum-virtual-webinar

COP29 | United Nations Climate Change Conference 

(Conference of the Parties, UNFCCC)

11 November - 22 November 2024

Note: If you are based outside the Azerbaijan Time Zone (AZT), you may use this time zone converter to determine the exact time of the events listed below.

SCI Press Conferences (all located in Press Conference Room Natavan (Room 2), Area D)

  • Wednesday, 13 Nov.​ (15:00-15:30 AZT)   
    GUEST SPEAKER: Grace Dorong, Executive Director, Root of Generations, South Sudan

  • Friday, 15 Nov. (15:00-15:30 AZT)  

  • Tuesday, 19 Nov. (15:00-15:30 AZT)  
    GUEST SPEAKER: Fred Onduri, Chair of the Advisory Board, Climate Technology Centre and Network (CTCN); and Seydou Coulibaly, Director, Togo Tile, Mali

  • Thursday, 21 Nov. (15:00-15:30 AZT) 
    GUEST SPEAKER: Ms. Rosemary Atieno, Founder, Community Mobilization for Positive Empowerment (COMPE), Kenya

SCI Exhibit

Meet the SCI team and discover various solar cookers that have undergone SCI's Performance Evaluation Process (PEP) in this joint exhibit with the International Solar Energy Society (ISES). Learn how solar cookers work and why they are an important solution.

WHEN: Monday - Thursday, 18-21 Nov. 
WHERE: Exhibit Booth 20

Events Featuring SCI

  • 'Climate Wisdom at COP29' with Brahma Kumaris
    WHEN: Tuesday, Nov 12. (19:00 AZT)
    WHERE: 141 Badamar Shosesi, behind Profitness Sports Club, Baku, Azerbaijan
    Event recording available here: https://www.solarcookers.org/about/blog/sci-joins-climate-wisdom-cop29-event-baku
  • 'Renewables based clean cooking: An opportunity for climate and development' with the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) 
    WHEN: Friday, Nov 15. (09:00-10:00 AZT)
    WHERE: UNIDO Pavilion, Blue Zone
  • ​​​'A Renewable Energy Future: Empowering Citizens, Strengthening Capacity Building and Cooperation' - Official UNFCCC Side Event with the Global Warming Mitigation Project and Peace Boat
    WHEN: Saturday, Nov 16. (15:00-16:30 AZT)
    WHERE: Side Event Room 9, Blue Zone
  • 'Local Innovators, Global Change: Youth Talk' with the Climate Technology Centre and Network (CTCN)
    WHEN: Monday, Nov 18. (16:30-17:30 AZT)
    WHERE: Capacity-building Hub, Blue Zone, Special Event Room 4 - Shirvan, Area B
  • 'Solar Clean Cooking: Paving the Way to a Net-Zero World' - Organised by the Carbon Markets Association of India (CMAI) in partnership with the International Solar Alliance (ISA)
    WHEN: Monday, Nov. 18 (17:55-18:05 AZT)
    WHERE: ISA Pavilion, H7, Blue Zone
    Event recording available here: https://www.solarcookers.org/about/blog/sci-cop29-solar-clean-cooking-net-zero-world
  • 'Local Climate Solutions towards 100% Renewables - Gender Matters' with the International Network for Sustainable Energy (INFORSE)
    WHEN: Wednesday, Nov. 20 (11.30-13.00 AZT)
    WHERE: Side Event Room 2, Blue Zone, B6
  • 'A short film on Kakuma Refugee Camp, Kenya' - SCI Video Screening and Q&A Event
    WHEN: Thursday, Nov 21. (13:30-14:30 AZT)
    WHERE: Humanitarian Hub, Blue Zone
    Event recording available here: https://www.solarcookers.org/about/blog/sci-highlights-solar-cooking-impact-cop29-humanitarian-hub 
  • Solar Cooking – A Pathway to Emissions Prevention and Climate Crisis Mitigation
    WHEN: Friday, Nov 22. (16:00-17:00 AZT)
    WHERE: Cryosphere Pavilion, Blue Zone
    Event recording available here: https://www.solarcookers.org/about/blog/solar-cooking-pathway-emissions-prevention-and-climate-crisis-mitigation-1

The SCI staff team will include: 

  • Alan Bigelow, Ph.D. – SCI Program and Science Director and a leading expert on solar cooking from design, to testing, to production, to training and scaling up. 
  • Keith Wingeard – SCI Strategic Partnerships Manager who oversees SCI's partnerships, consultancy opportunities, and financial support to increase the use of solar cookers globally.
  • Dr. Stephane Villatte - SCI Program Officer who facilitates the implementation of SCI's solar cooking projects supported by the United Nations Climate Technology Centre and Network (CTCN).

SCI will try to share photos and videos of events that are not live-streamed. Check back for updates.

2025 SCI Board Meetings

Saturdays 8:30 am-12:30 pm Pacific time/11:30 am-3:30 pm Eastern time via Zoom

  • 22 March 
  • 7 June 
  • 6 September 
  • 13 Decembe

COP28 | United Nations Climate Change Conference

(Conference of the Parties, UNFCCC)

30 November 2023 - 12 December 2023
Expo City, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

GST=Gulf Standard Time

To read SCI's Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) report, click here.

Stay up-to-date with SCI by signing up to receive the latest news and publications here. 

SCI Press Conferences (all located in Press Conference Room 2, Zone B6 - Building 77)

  • Monday, 4 Dec.​ (16:30-17:00 GST / 07:30-08:00 AM EST/ 04:30 AM-05:00 AM PST)   
    GUEST SPEAKER: El Hadji Diop, National Designated Entities (NDE), Senegal

  • Tuesday, 5 Dec. (16:00-16:30 GST / 07:00 AM-07:30 AM EST/ 04:00 AM – 04:30 AM PST)
    GUEST SPEAKER: Dr. Daniel M. Kammen, Advisor for Innovative Energy Solutions at the United States Agency for International Development (USAID)

  • Friday, 8 Dec. (17:30-18:00 GST / 08:30 AM-09:00 AM EST / 05:30 AM – 06:00 AM PST)
    GUEST SPEAKER: Fred Onduri, Vice Chair, UNFCCC Climate Technology Centre & Network (CTCN) Advisory Board 

  • Monday, 11 Dec. (15:00-15:30 GST / 06:00 AM-07:00 AM EST / 03:00 AM-03:30 AM PST)
    GUEST SPEAKER: Abdulla Baobeid, Project Manager, Nahda Makers Organization; Mohammed Al Sayed, Executive Director, Nahda Makers Organization  

SCI Side Events 

  • Climate Solutions, Climate Action, and Solar Cookers: Implementing Cross-Cutting Solutions   
    WHEN: Saturday, 9 Dec. (15:00-16:30 GST/ 6:00 AM-7:30 AM EST/ 3:00 AM-4:30 AM PST) 
    WHERE: Side Event Room 4, Blue Zone, Zone B6, Building 83
    GUEST SPEAKER: Jacquelyn Francis, Executive Director, Global Warming Mitigation Project

  • Solar Cooking: A Gender Just Clean Cooking Climate Solution
    WHEN: Monday, 11 Dec. (15:00-16:30 GST)
    WHERE: Women and Gender Constituency Pavilion

  • Solar Cooking – A Pathway to Emissions Prevention and Climate Crisis Mitigation 
    WHEN: Tuesday, 12 Dec. (13:00-14:30 GST/ 4:00 AM-5:30 AM EST/ 1:00 AM-2:30 AM PST)  
    WHERE: Cryosphere Pavilion ​​​​​​

Events featuring SCI 

  • Climate Wisdom Live Studio 
    WHEN: Tuesday, 5 Dec. (18:30 GST / 9:30 AM EST/ 6:30 AM PST) 
    WHERE: Raja Yoga Center, Shop 2, Nasir Ahmed Lootah Building, Khalid Bin Al Waleed Street, Umm Hurair First, Dubai (3 min. walk from Burjuman Metro Station, Exit 1) 
    GUEST SPEAKERS: Sister Jayanti, Brahma Kumaris; Dr. Muralee Thummarukdy, Director, G20 Global Initiative, UN Convention to Combat Desertification 

  • Visionary Leadership for the Transition to Clean Technology  
    WHEN: Wednesday, 6 Dec. (12:30-1:15 GST/ 3:30 AM-4:15 AM EST/ 12:30 PM-1:15 AM PST.  
    WHERE: Faith Pavilion, Blue Zone, Section B5, Building 64
    GUEST SPEAKERS: Abdulla Mohammad Baobeid, Climate Change Co-coordinator, Nahda Makers, Yemen; Caitlyn Hughes, Executive Director, Solar Cookers International; Golo J. Pilz, Germany Energy Advisor Brahma Kumaris, Initiator of India-One solar thermal power plant, India/Germany; Kenneth Nana Amatoeng, Elder of the Church of Pentecost and President of Abibimman Foundation, Ghana; Moderator Sonja Ohlsson, Brahma Kumaris Focal Point to UNFCCC 

  • Innovation and Partnerships breakout session 
    WHEN: Wednesday, 6 Dec. (15:00-16:30 GST / 6:00 AM-7:30 AM EST/ 3:00 AM-4:30 AM PST) 
    WHERE: Rotary Pavilion 
    GUEST SPEAKERS: Moderator Dr. Selin Calik, Founder and CEO of Women in Smart Energy-UK; Dr. Nicholas Hardman-Mountford, Head of Oceans & Natural Resources at Commonwealth Secretariat; Ash Mukherjee, Solutions Partner, UK Based Advisory Company, Forrester; Muhammad Faiz Kidwai, Rotary International Director, Smart Villages; Keith Wingeard, Strategic Partnerships Manager, Solar Cookers International

SCI Exhibit Booth

  • Meet the SCI team and get an inside look at the different solar cookers that have gone through SCI’s Performance Evaluation Process. Learn how solar cookers work and why it is an important solution. 

    WHEN: Friday - Sunday, 1-3 Dec. 
    WHERE: Booth #46 at the SEORS Exhibition 

The SCI team will include: 

  • Caitlyn Hughes – SCI’s Executive Director who is a global leader in the areas of solar cooking advocacy, education, research, and networking. 
  • Dr. Shishpal Rawat – SCI's Board President who is an accomplished senior executive, board member, and thought leader with 30 years of success across the semiconductor, education, and information and technology services industries.
  • Mike Paparian – ClimateDispatch - SCI Board Member and an environmental finance and policy specialist who has held key positions in and out of California state government. 
  • Alan Bigelow, Ph.D. – SCI’s Science Director and a leading expert on solar cooking from design, to testing, to production, to training and scaling up. 
  • Keith Wingeard – SCI's Strategic Partnerships Manager who oversees SCI's partnerships, consultancy opportunities, and financial support to increase the use of solar cookers globally.
  • Hemangi Rawat - SCI Volunteer who has over 20 years of Intel/IT experience and 8+ years leading and managing technical engineering, cross-organizational, and cross-functional virtual teams. 

SCI will try to share photos and videos of events that are not live-streamed. Check back at www.solarcookers.org for updates.

2024 SCI Board Meetings

Saturdays 8:30 am-12:30 pm Pacific time/11:30 am-3:30 pm Eastern time

  • 23 March 
  • 29 June 
  • 21 September 
  • 14 December

2023 SCI Board Meetings

Saturdays 8:30 am - 12:30 pm Pacific time/11:30 am-3:30 pm Eastern time

  • 18 March
  • 24 June
  • 30 September 
  • 12 January 2024 (4th quarter of 2023 board meeting held slightly later due to scheduling conflicts)

COP27 | United Nations Climate Change Conference 

(Conference of the Parties, UNFCCC)

6 November 2022 - 18 November 2022
Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt

Want to be an SCI Sponsor for COP27? Click here to learn more. 

Stay up-to-date with SCI by signing up to receive the latest news and publications here. 

SCI Press Conferences all located at the Luxor Taba Area  

  • Wednesday, 9 Nov.​ (09:00 AM-09:30 AM Eastern European Time (EET)/ 02:00 AM-02:30 AM EST/ 23:00-23:30 PST. PST will take place on Tuesday, 8 Nov). Special guest speakers include Dr. Daniel M. Kammen, Advisor for Innovative Energy Solutions at the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and Jacquelyn Francis, Executive Director of the Global Warming Mitigation Project (GWMP) and the Keeling Curve Prize 

  • Friday, 11 Nov. (14:30-15:00 EET/ 07:30 AM-08:00 AM EST/ 04:30 AM-05:00 AM PST) Guest speaker includes Hans André Lohayo Djamba, National Designated Authority for the Democratic Republic of Congo. 

  • Monday, 14 Nov. (14:30-15:00 EET/ 07:30 AM-08:00 AM EST/ 04:30 AM-05:00 AM PST) Guest speaker includes Dr. Matthew Kennedy, Senior Advisor at UNFCCC Climate Technology Centre & Network (CTCN).

  • Tuesday, 15 Nov. (17:30-18:00 EET/ 10:30 AM-11:00AM EST/ 07:00 AM-08:00 AM PST)  

  • Wednesday, 16 Nov. (13:30-14:00 EET/ 06:30 AM-07:00 AM EST/ 03:30 AM-04:00 AM PST) Guest speaker includes Joshi Jyoti of the Nepal Bureau of Standards and Metrology (NBSM).

SCI Side Events 

  • Tuesday, 8 Nov. (11:00 AM-12:30 PM EET/ 04:00 AM-05:30 AM EST/ 01:00 AM-02:30 AM PST) at the Locally Led Adaptation Pavilion. Guest speaker includes Golo Pilz, Energy Adviser for Brahma Kumaris. 

  • Sunday, 13 Nov. (13:00-14:00 EET/ 06:00 AM-07:00 AM EST/ 03:00 AM-04:00 AM PST) at the CSO Climate Justice Hub located in the Sanafir Hotel.

  • Thursday, 17 Nov. (18:30-20:00 EET/ 11:30 AM-13:00 EST/ 08:30 AM-10:00 AM PST). Official Side Event at the Sharm El-Sheikh International Convention Center (SHICC), also called the “Blue Zone,” in Osiris Room (Room 6). Side Event will also feature Nurses Across the Borders and The Global Climate and Health Alliance. 

  • Friday, 18 Nov. (10:00 AM-11:30 AM EET/ 03:30 AM EST/ 24:00 PST) at the Cryosphere Pavilion. Special guest speakers include SCI Global Advisor Dr. Mrs. Janak Palta McGilligan, SCI Global Advisor Deepak Gadhia, Urs Riggenbach, CEO and Co-Founder at Solar Fire, and Mr. Nawa Raj Dhakal, Deputy Executive Director of Nepal Ministry of Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation, Alternative Energy Promotion Centre. Event will be live-streamed on the following pages: 

SCI Exhibit Booth 

  • Monday - Wednesday, 7-9 Nov. located at Booth #16 at the Sharm El-Sheikh International Convention Center (SHICC), also called the “Blue Zone.”

The SCI team will include: 

  • Caitlyn Hughes – SCI’s Executive Director who is a global leader in the areas of solar cooking advocacy, education, research, and networking. 
  • Dr. Peg Barratt – Professor of Psychological and Brain Sciences at George Washington University and Vice President of the SCI Board. Her ongoing commitment to the well-being of children and their families drives her interest in Solar Cooking as a solution for toxic household air pollution.
  • Mike Paparian – ClimateDispatch - SCI Board Member and an environmental finance and policy specialist who has held key positions in and out of California state government. 
  • Alan Bigelow, Ph.D. – SCI’s Science Director and a leading expert on solar cooking from design, to testing, to production, to training and scaling up. 
  • Keith Wingeard – SCI's Strategic Partnerships Manager who oversees SCI's partnerships, consultancy opportunities, and financial support to increase the use of solar cookers globally.
  • Rob Tyrrell – SCI United Nations representative with expertise in teaching, marketing, and spreading solar cooking. 

SCI will try to share photos and videos of events that are not live-streamed. Check back here for updates. 

2022 SCI Board Meetings

12 March 2022

25 June 2022

10 September 2022

17 December 2022

Sacramento, California USA

COP26 | United Nations Climate Change Conference 

(Conference of the Parties, UNFCCC)

31 October 2021 - 12 November 2021
Glasgow, United Kingdom

SCI Press Conferences  (all 10:15-10:45 am GMT) at the Durdle Door in the Blue Zone 

  • Wednesday, 3 Nov. Special guest speaker includes Dymphna van der Lans, CEO of the Clean Cooking Alliance.
  • Thursday, 4 Nov. Special guest speaker includes Karina Larsen, Global Manager for Knowledge, Communications & Gender/Youth Issues at the UNFCCC Climate Technology Centre & Network.
  • Friday, 5 Nov. Special guest speaker includes Amanda McKee, Head of Knowledge Management at the NDC Partnership.
  • Tuesday, 9 Nov. Special guest speakers include Dr. Daniel M. Kammen, Advisor for Innovative Energy Solutions at the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Jacquelyn Francis, Executive Director of the Global Warming Mitigation Project (GWMP) and the Keeling Curve Prize, and Chad Frischmann, Vice President & Research Director at Project Drawdown. 
  • Wednesday, 10 Nov. Special guest speaker includes Rana Adib, Executive Director of REN 21.
  • Thursday, 11 Nov 

SCI Side Event (events are listed in local time -GMT)

SCI will also have a virtual exhibit that will be accessible to the public throughout the conference. Click here for updates. 

The SCI team will include: 

  • Caitlyn Hughes– SCI’s executive director who is a global leader in the areas of solar cooking advocacy, education, research, and networking. 
  • Mike Paparian – @ClimateDispatch - SCI board member and an environmental finance and policy specialist who has held key positions in and out of California state government. 
  • Alan Bigelow, Ph.D. – SCI’s science director and a leading expert on solar cooking from design, to testing, to production, to training and scaling up. 
  • Rob Tyrrell – SCI United Nations representative with expertise in teaching, marketing, and spreading solar cooking. 

2021 SCI Board Meetings

13 March 2021

5 June 2021

28 August 2021

11 December 2021

Sacramento, California USA

United Nations NGO Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) Forum 65

Thursday, 25 March 2021
 
8:30 am - 11:30 am Pacific Standard Time/ 11:30 am - 1:30 pm Eastern Standard Time/ 4:30 pm - 6:30 pm UTC
 

The Commission on the Status of Women is the principal global intergovernmental body exclusively dedicated to the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women. We are thankful to be able to utilize SCI's connections with the United Nations to amplify your voice and support for solar cooking to such a wide audience. 

There was so much interest in the CSW event that the maximum capacity on the registration platform has been reached. If you have already registered as an advocate through the CSW platform, you will still be able to join us there (please make sure you register for SCI's specific event as well).  If you did not already register through the CSW platform, please join us on SCI's Facebook page www.facebook.com/SolarCookers where we will try to simultaneously broadcast our event at that time.  Please follow Solar Cookers International on Facebook if you haven't already.  We will also try to share the recording widely afterward.  Thank you.

Special guest speakers include:

This event is being dedicated in memory of the devoted solar cooking advocate Dar Curtis. If you would like to make a gift in honor of Dar’s commitment to solar cooking please click here and type his name in the dedication section. Thank you.

This event is being dedicated in memory of the devoted solar cooking advocate Dar Curtis. The photos show Mr. Dar Curtis (left) and the women in Tanzania he helped support with Solar Cookers International.  If you would like to make a gift in honor of Dar’s commitment to solar cooking please click here and type his name in the dedication section. Thank you.

Devoted cooking advocate, Dar Curtis   Women in Tanzania.jpeg

 

Photo credit right: Macedonia Ministry

Click here to view past events