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A powerful youth is leading a human rights struggle in Bahrain, which receives very little media coverage. Following the aftermath of the Bahrain Uprising of 2011, the Bahraini authorities continue to respond violently to activists and refuses to release thousands of political prisoners behind bars all due to demanding democratic change.

Amid a rising tide of widespread violence in the country the State of Mexico issued its first-ever Gender Alert. AWID spoke to Maria Luz Estrada and Patricia Bedolla of the National Citizen’s Feminicide Observatory to discuss what this means for women human rights defenders in Mexico State.

Under the auspices of ‘national security’, a host of countries are experiencing increased criminalization of dissent, coupled with shrinking spaces for social justice activism and work. For organisations that rely on foreign-sourced funding for their work, the implications are dire.

The following declaration is the outcome of a workshop on the gendered impacts of mining, held in Mania, Philippines from 30 July to 1 August, 2015, as part of the the International People's Conference on Mining.

On 20 July 2015, the international community was shaken by the news of the murder of 31 civil society activists, many of whom were women human rights defenders (WHRDs) in the predominantly Kurdish city of Suruç in Turkey. The activists were on their way to rebuild the war torn Kurdish city of Kobane in Northern Syria, carrying toys and books for orphaned children.  

AWID is saddened to learn of the passing of Kelly Ann Quinn on 14 July 2015. Kelly was dedicated to advancing women’s rights around the world and passionate about supporting women’s rights activism and organizing.

On 16 July 2015 the Third International Financing for Development Conference (FfD3), which took place in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and that was preceded by a long preparatory process, concluded with a very disappointing outcome document - the Addis Ababa Action Agenda (AAAA). Nonetheless it holds some entry points for the advancement of women’s rights and gender equality.

AWID is deeply saddened by the loss of Josefa Gigi Francisco, whose life was dedicated to defending women’s human rights and advancing social justice. Her death on 22 July 2015 is a source of great sadness to women’s rights activists around the world. 

Following the signing of the Agreement for Peace and Reconciliation in Mali on 20 June 2015, AWID spoke with Bintou Founé Samaké Bouaré and Fatoumata Maiga to learn more about mainstreaming gender into the Mali peace building process and the associated challenges.

Today we stand at the last milestone of the post 2015 development agenda process. In the coming two weeks of negotiations at the UN – and the months of informal consultations to follow - there will be debates on the language of the initial declaration, the SDGs and their targets, the means of implementation (MOI); and follow up and review mechanisms outlined in the draft outcome document.