Jean-Marc Ferré | Flickr (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)
A general view of participants at the 16th session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva, Switzerland.

Special Focus

AWID is an international, feminist, membership organisation committed to achieving gender equality, sustainable development and women’s human rights

Human Rights Council (HRC)

The Human Rights Council (HRC) is the key intergovernmental body within the United Nations system responsible for the promotion and protection of all human rights around the globe. It holds three regular sessions a year: in March, June and September. The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) is the secretariat for the HRC.

The HRC works by:

  • Debating and passing resolutions on global human rights issues and human rights situations in particular countries

  • Examining complaints from victims of human rights violations or activist organizations on behalf of victims of human rights violations

  • Appointing independent experts (known as “Special Procedures”) to review human rights violations in specific countries and examine and further global human rights issues

  • Engaging in discussions with experts and governments on human rights issues

  • Assessing the human rights records of all UN Member States every four and a half years through the Universal Periodic Review

Learn more about the HRC


AWID works with feminist, progressive and human rights partners to share key knowledge, convene civil society dialogues and events, and influence negotiations and outcomes of the session.

With our partners, our work will:

◾️ Monitor, track and analyze anti-rights actors, discourses and strategies and their impact on resolutions

◾️ Raise awareness of the findings of the 2017 and 2021 OURs Trends Reports.

◾️Support the work of feminist UN experts in the face of backlash and pressure

◾️Advocate for state accountability
 
◾️ Work with feminist movements and civil society organizations to advance rights related to gender and sexuality.
 

Related Content

Stacey Park Milbern

“I do not know a lot about spirituality or what happens when we die, but my crip queer Korean life makes me believe that our earthly bodyminds is but a fraction, and not considering our ancestors is electing only to see a glimpse of who we are.” - Stacey Park Milbern

Stacey Park Milbern was a self-identifying queer disabled woman of colour and a trailblazer. A long-standing and respected organizer and leader in the disability rights and justice movement, she also advocated for the rights of many different communities, not just her own. Stacey’s activism had mighty roots in her experience at the intersections of gender, disability, sexuality and race.

Stacey, along with some friends, co-created the Disability Justice Culture Club, a group working to support various and especially vulnerable communities, including helping homeless people gain access to resources during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

She was also a co-producer of an impact campaign for Netflix’s documentary “Crip Camp”, a board member of the WITH Foundation, and led organizations at local, state and national levels. Stacey wrote beautifully and powerfully:

“My ancestors are people torn apart from loves by war and displacement. It’s because of them I know the power of building home with whatever you have, wherever you are, whoever you are with. My ancestors are queers who lived in the American South. It’s because of them I understand the importance of relationships, place and living life big, even if it is dangerous. All of my ancestors know longing. Longing is often our connecting place...” - Stacey Park Milbern

She was born in Seoul, Korea and grew up in North Carolina, later  continuing her journey in the San Francisco Bay Area. Stacey passed away of complications from surgery on her 33rd birthday on 19 May 2020. 


Read an essay by Stacey Park Milbern
Listen to an interview with Stacey Park Milbern
#StaceyTaughtUs: Record your story for the Disability Visibility Project

Tributes:

“She was, a lot of people would say, a leader. She kind of encompassed all of it. You know, sometimes there's like a lead from the front, lead from the middle, lead from the back. And she was just somehow able to do all of that.” - Andraéa LaVant, disability rights activist

“What a blow to lose Stacey when our communities need her leadership more than ever, and at a time when her strength, insight, and grit were receiving increased recognition outside of disability circles, giving her a greater platform to advance her life’s work...We will not have the gift of learning where her charismatic leadership would have taken us. But let there be no doubt: What Stacey gave us, in a relatively short time, will continue benefiting others for years to come.” - Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund (DREDF)

WITM - Refreshed Intro Text (FR)

🚨Nouveau rapport disponible en anglais🚨

Où est l’argent ? Un plaidoyer documenté pour soutenir les organisations féministe

Ce rapport révèle la réalité du financement des organisations féministes et de défense des droits des femmes dans un contexte de bouleversements politiques et financiers. S’appuyant sur plus de dix ans d’analyse depuis la dernière étude Où est l’argent ? de l’AWID, il dresse un bilan des progrès réalisés, des lacunes persistantes et des menaces croissantes dans le domaine du financement féministe.

Téléchargez le rapport ! (en anglais)

April 2015: Interactive hearings with the business sector and civil society take place

Informal interactive hearings with the business sector and civil society took place on 8 and 9 April 2015 respectively at UN headquarters in New York.

  • Women’s rights organizations and other CSOs raised concern about the limited participation of Member States during the CSO hearings and thus the Addis Ababa CSO Coordinating Group (ACG) issued a letter to the Co-facilitators
  • The second drafting session of the Addis Ababa outcome document was held from 13 – 17 April 2015 at the UN Headquarters. The basis of discussion was the Zero Draft.
  • The WWG on FfD presented recommendations on the FfD themes to Member States in different official sessions and side events. Among the key areas of concern for women was the fact that the zero draft did not give sufficient emphasis to the enormous, negative impacts of financial crises caused by instability in international financial systems on development, equality and human rights, particularly women’s human rights.

What about the visas?

We are acutely aware of the practical hurdles and emotional distress associated with international travel, particularly from the Global South. AWID is working with TCEB (the Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau) to support Forum participants with acquiring visas. More information about this visa assistance will be available upon registration, including contact information for where and how to apply.

Nos droits en danger : Il est temps d’agir (Rapport OURS 2021)

Rapport

Nos droits en danger : Il est temps d’agir – Rapport sur les tendances 2021 de l’Observatoire sur l’universalité des droits

Le tout dernier rapport de l’Observatoire sur l’universalité des droits (OURs) détricote les discours de « l’idéologie du genre », du « génocide prénatal » et de « l’impérialisme culturel ». Il creuse également la réalité de CitizenGo, de l’Alliance Defending Freedom et des flux de financement antidroits. Vous y trouverez, en outre, une analyse des systèmes régionaux des droits humains et des stratégies féministes victorieuses !

Obtenir le rapport

Snippet - COP30 - The People's Summit - FR

Le Sommet des peuples

Le sommet climat organisé par et pour les mouvements.

📅 12 novembre - 16 novembre 2025
📍 Université fédérale du Pará, Belém

Plus d'infos ici

Site web en anglais

¿Qué está en juego en este proceso para los derechos de las mujeres?

La financiación para el desarrollo encierra amenazas y oportunidades concretas para los derechos de las mujeres y los derechos humanos de todas las personas. Una financiación y políticas para el desarrollo que sean transformadoras pueden constituir un aporte importante para los cambios sistémicos que se necesitan a fin de garantizar el respeto, la protección y la realización de los derechos humanos de las mujeres.

El año 2015 es importante en el proceso de la FpD. La tercera Conferencia Internacional sobre la FpD tuvo lugar del 13 al 16 de julio de 2015 en Adís Abeba, Etiopía, y los gobiernos están finalizando la Agenda de Desarrollo Post-2015 que incluye acuerdos acerca de cómo se van a financiar los Objetivos de Desarrollo Sostenible.

En su actual etapa, el proceso de la FpD ofrece una oportunidad importante para fijar un marco de financiación que garantice un apoyo financiero efectivo para la implementación de la Agenda Post-2015 y de los Objetivos de Desarrollo Sostenible (ODS). También constituye una oportunidad para abordar las condiciones estructurales y los cambios sistémicos necesarios para la plena implementación de otras agendas y compromisos como los tratados internacionales de derechos humanos y la Plataforma de Acción de Beijing.

En estos últimos trece años, organizaciones por los derechos de las mujeres y feministas han participado activamente en el proceso de la FpD.

Mi grupo o yo íbamos a participar en el Foro que fue cancelado debido a la pandemia, ¿cómo puedo participar en este Foro?

Volveremos a ponernos en contacto con contrapartes que hayan colaborado en el pasado, para asegurarnos de que se respetan los esfuerzos realizados.Si tus datos de contacto han cambiado desde el último proceso del Foro, por favor, actualízalos para que podamos contactarte.

Editor's Note | Lost For Words

Editor's Note

Lost For Words

When our embodied labor becomes profit in the hands of the systems we seek to dismantle, it is no wonder that our sexualities and pleasures are once again relegated to the sidelines – especially when they are not profitable enough. In many instances during the production of this issue, we asked ourselves what would happen if we refused to accommodate the essential services of capitalism. 

Read more

Snippet - COP30 - Resistance Hubs Section Column 1 - EN

As world leaders gather in Brazil, it’s vital that feminist movements especially from the Global Majority have autonomous spaces to gather, strategize, and disrupt.

These Hubs challenge the elitism of climate talks, center lived experiences, and aim to build collective power across borders. They offer a critical counterbalance to top-down, often exclusionary international negotiations. The Hubs aim to foster community-driven solutions, amplify feminist demands, and ensure that feminist principles of care and solidarity shape the climate agenda. It’s not just about being present at COP30, it’s about reshaping the conversation on climate justice on feminist terms.

I’m trying to submit a proposal but the online form is not working?

For any questions related to the Call for Forum Activities please contact us, selecting Forum Call for Activities as the subject of your email.

Contact us

 

Je n’ai pas trouvé de réponse à ma question

Pour toute question supplémentaire, veuillez utiliser notre formulaire de contact. Nous continuerons d’actualiser ce document en fonction des questions que nous recevrons de votre part !

Snippet Kohl - Plenary | She is on her way: Alternatives, feminisms and another world

Plenary | She is on her way: Alternatives, feminisms and another world

with Dr. Vandana Shiva, Dr. Dilar Dirik, and Nana Akosua Hanson.

YOUTUBESOUNDCLOUD

Snippet - COP30 - Feminist Economic Alternatives Brief - EN

📖 Feminist Economic Alternatives Brief

A tool for feminist activists at COP30 fighting for transformative, equitable and community-centred solutions to address the climate crisis.

Download the Brief

Também disponível em português

How much does registration cost?

This information will only be available when registration opens. 

CFA 2023 - Online and Hybrid - ES

Nuevo

Participación en línea e híbrida

Como participante en línea, puedes facilitar actividades, conectarte y conversar con otras personas, y experimentar de primera mano la creatividad, el arte y la celebración del Foro de AWID. Lxs participantes que se conecten en línea disfrutarán de un programa rico y diverso: desde talleres y conversaciones hasta actividades de sanación y espectáculos musicales. Algunas actividades estarán centradas en la conexión entre participantes en línea, y otras serán verdaderamente híbridas, centradas en la conexión y la interacción entre lxs participantes en línea y quienes estén en Bangkok.

Snippet Kohl - Intro

Corporalidades Transnacionales

Desde siempre el feminismo sostiene que lo personal es político. El Festival Crear, Resister, Transform generó espacios en los que el feminismo pudo discutir las cuestiones relativas al cuerpo, el género y las sexualidades, y analizar las interconexiones de estos asuntos entendidos como experiencias profundas del cuerpo y, a la vez, un terreno en los que los derechos están en constante disputa y riesgo en la sociedad.

El poder de los movimientos feministas radica en el modo de organizarnos y emprender acciones coordinadas, no solo en nuestras propias comunidades y movimientos, sino también con otras causas y grupos aliados por la justicia social. El espacio brindó la oportunidad de que los movimientos compartieran y reforzaran los procesos de organización y las estrategias tácticas de forma mutua.

La pandemia mundial sanitaria del COVID-19 ha puesto de manifiesto como nunca antes el fracaso del capitalismo neoliberal, expuesto las fallas de nuestros sistemas y acentuado la necesidad de construir nuevas realidades y las oportunidades para ello. Una recuperación económica y social feminista exige el trabajo conjunto. Esta edición, en alianza con Kohl: una publicación para la investigación sobre cuerpo y género, analizará soluciones, propuestas y realidades feministas para transformar nuestro mundo actual, nuestros cuerpos y nuestras sexualidades.

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