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

Mirna Teresa Suazo Martínez

Mirna Teresa Suazo Martínez faisait partie de la communauté garifuna (afro-descendante et autochtone) Masca et vivait sur la côte nord des Caraïbes du Honduras. Elle était leader de sa communauté et fervente défenseure du territoire autochtone, une terre qui a été violée le jour où l'Institut national agraire du Honduras a accordé des licences territoriales à des personnes extérieures à la communauté. 

Ce fait déplorable a été à l'origine de harcèlements, d'abus et de violences répétés contre Masca, où les intérêts économiques de différents groupes se sont heurtés à ceux des forces armées et des autorités honduriennes. Selon l'Organisation fraternelle noire du Honduras (OFRANEH), la stratégie de ces groupes consiste à expulser et exterminer la population autochtone. 

« Masca, la communauté garifuna située près de la vallée du Cuyamel, se trouve dans la zone d’influence de l’une des villes présumées modèles, une situation qui a déclenché des pressions territoriales le long de la côte garifuna. » - OFRANEH, 8 septembre 2019

Mirna Teresa, présidente du conseil d'administration de la communauté de Masca à Omoa, avait elle aussi fermement rejeté la construction de deux centrales hydroélectriques sur la rivière Masca, qui porte le même nom que sa communauté.

« La communauté garífuna attribue l'aggravation de la situation dans leur région à son opposition à l'exploitation touristique, à la monoculture de palmiers africains et au trafic de drogue, tandis qu'elle cherche parallèlement à construire une vie alternative au travers de la culture de la noix de coco et d'autres produits d'autoconsommation ». - Voces Feministas, 10 septembre 2019 

Mirna Teresa a été assassinée le 8 septembre 2019 dans son restaurant « Champa los Gemelos ». 

Elle est l'une des six femmes défenseures garifunas à avoir été assassinées rien qu'entre septembre et octobre 2019. Selon l'OFRANEH, les autorités n'ont pas mené d'enquête sur ces crimes.

« En ce qui concerne les communautés garífuna, une grande partie des homicides sont liés au régime foncier et à la gestion des terres. Cependant, les querelles entre les organisations criminelles ont abouti à des meurtres, à l’instar de ceux ayant eu lieu récemment à Santa Rosa de Aguán ». - OFRANEH, 8 septembre 2019

FRMag - Our neighbourhood, our network

Our neighbourhood, our network, our strength

by Marta Plaza Fernández

The feminist reality that I want to share is about weaving networks in which we uphold one another. (...)

Read

artwork: “Entretejidas” [Interwoven women] by Surmercé >

Snippet - CSW69 On autonomous resourcing - EN

On autonomous resourcing alternatives

Do I need a visa to attend the Forum in Taipei?

You DO NOT need a visa to attend the Forum in Taipei if you hold a passport from one of the following countries (the allowed length of your stay varies from one country to another):

Andorra, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Eswatini, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan*, Republic of Korea, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Marshall Island, Monaco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Norway, Palau, Paraguay, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, San Marino, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Tuvalu, the United Kingdom, the United States of America,and Vatican City State, Belize, Dominican Republic, Malaysia, Nauru, St. Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Singapore.

People with any other passport WILL NEED A VISA to come to Taipei.


Please note:

It is likely that, once you have registered to attend the Forum, you will get an event-related code that will allow you to apply for your visa electronically regardless of your citizenship.

We will let you know more about this when the Registration opens.

Snippet - GII Download (FR)

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)

FRMag - Looking at me Looking at Safe Spaces

Mirándome observar los espacios seguros

por Judyannet Muchiri

En octubre del año pasado, me fui a Kenia para empezar lo que he llegado a considerar el trabajo más importante que he hecho hasta ahora. (...)

Leer

arte: «Healing Together» [Sanar juntxs], Upasana Agarwal >

Snippet - AWID Community Jobs Board

AWID Members logo

AWID Community Jobs Board: Available for all AWID members, upon signing up for the AWID Community access. Whether you're looking for full-time advocacy roles, project-based consulting opportunities, paid internships or volunteer positions, this community-led jobs board is a valuable resource to help you find work that makes change possible.

Snippet Watch Stories (ES)

Conoce más sobre el impacto del foro a través de estas historias.

FRMag - Resistance Series

Série sur les résistances féministes

Explorer la série de photos

Snippet - WCFM Explore and share - EN

Explore and share the databases with your network now!

Snippet Forum Quoate Nicky Mcintyre (FR)

Tous nos processus de changement reposent sur les relations que nous établissons dans des espaces comme les forums de l'AWID, où l'on danse ensemble, où l'on fait ressortir son humour, sa vraie personnalité, où l'on raconte des histoires. C'est ce qui fait la différence.
- Nicky Mcintyre, États-Unis

Film club - The Turtle's rage

The Turtle’s Rage (2012) German | Arabic with English subtitles

THE TURTLE'S RAGE tells the story of a mysterious man, whose life has been molded by flight, expulsion, life in exile and the failed return to Palestine. The film is composed of a daughter's search for answers from her father.


Live Conversation with Pary El-Qalqili, filmmaker of “The Turtle’s Rage”

Snippet - WITM INFOGRAPHIC_1_EN_2 Annual budget size

In 2023, feminist and 
women's rights organizations 
had a median annual budget of

In contrast, over $1 billion went 
to three anti-rights groups in 2021-2022, 
with funding for anti-gender networks still rising.