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

Kasia Staszewska

Biography

Kasia has been supporting the work of feminist and social justice movements for the last 15 years. Before joining AWID, Kasia used to lead policy and advocacy for ActionAid and Amnesty International while organizing with feminists and social justice groups in Poland for access to abortion and against violence on the European borders. Kasia is passionate about resourcing feminist organizing in all their boldness, richness and diversity. She shares her time between Warsaw and her DIY community village in the forest. She loves saunas and is crazy about her dog named Wooly.

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Manager, Resourcing Feminist Movements
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Merci d'avoir participé à la création de nos Horizons féministes

Un grand MERCI d'avoir pris part au 13ème Forum international de l'AWID !

Toute l'équipe de l'AWID vous remercie de nous avoir rejoint pour ces quatre jours d'apprentissage et de célébrations, pour envisager, rêver et co-créer nos Horizons féministes.

Nous avons été incroyablement inspiré-e-s et enthousiasmé-e-s par tout ce travail collectif que nous avons accompli ensemble !

Pour plus d'images, d'inspiration et de ressources :

Visitez le site du Forum

Bonne lecture !


Connectez-vous au #AWIDForum

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AWID en la CSW69 Beijing+30 | #CongelarFascismos

Nuestra presencia colectiva trastorna las prácticas institucionales de exclusión en dichos espacios y, a la vez, apoya los procesos de organización de los movimientos en torno a las alternativas feministas a los sistemas de opresión.

Súmate a las conversaciones desde el 10 al 21 de marzo de 2025, mientras transformamos de forma colectiva la CSW69 en espacios para y sobre la resistencia y la solidaridad.

Conoce más

Quand pourrai-je m'inscrire au Forum ? Combien coûte l'inscription ? Que comprennent les frais d'inscription ?

Les inscriptions commenceront début 2024. Nous annoncerons bientôt la date exacte et les tarifs d'inscription. L'inscription comprendra la participation au Forum, et inclura le déjeuner et les collations (le petit-déjeuner sera fourni par les hôtels), ainsi qu’un dîner sur place.

Kagendo Murungi

Kagendo is remembered fondly by family and friends as a fierce African feminist activist, artist, and filmmaker.

She dedicated over 20 years to advocate for the rights and dignity of African LGBTIQ and gender non conforming people.

Kagendo’s colleagues remember her as someone with a jovial personality, fierce conviction, and love for life. Kagendo died due to natural causes at her home in Harlem on December 27th, 2017.

On Kagendo’s passing Kenyan writer and activist Shailja Patel noted “Kagendo's lifelong commitment to connecting the dots between all oppressions, showing how colonialism fostered homophobia on the African continent, making Kenya a country where queer Kenyans and free women could live and thrive.”


 

Kagendo Murungi, Kenya

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Capítulo 4

Actores anti-derechos

Una red compleja de actores anti-derechos, en constante evolución, está ejerciendo cada vez más influencia en los espacios internacionales y en las políticas nacionales. Respaldados a menudo por financiaciones poco transparentes, estos actores construyen alianzas tácticas sobre distintos temas y cruzando diferentes regiones y credos para aumentar su impacto.

Leer más

Faye Macheke

Biography

Faye es una apasionada feminista panafricana, que trabaja activamente en diversos movimientos por los derechos de las mujeres, la justicia racial, los derechos de las personas migrantes y los derechos laborales, y por la justicia ambiental. Su activismo se basa en el legado de la lucha contra el apartheid en Sudáfrica y las consecuencias de la era del apartheid en Zimbabue.

En 2019, Faye se sumó a AWID como Directora de Finanzas, Operaciones y Desarrollo y dedicó sus esfuerzos a garantizar que AWID defienda los principios y valores feministas en todas sus operaciones. Aporta más de 20 años de experiencia en liderazgo y estrategias feministas y en todos los aspectos de las finanzas y el desarrollo institucional.

Faye es una comprometida integrante de la Junta de Urgent Action Fund Africa (UAF- Fondo de Acción Urgente África) y otras organizaciones por los derechos de las mujeres. Anteriormente, desempeñó funciones de Directora de Finanzas y Operaciones en Paediatric Adolescent Treatment for Africa (Tratamiento Pediátrico y Adolescente para África) y JASS - Just Associates Inc., en Sudáfrica. Asimismo, ocupó roles directivos en International Computer Driving Licence (ICDL), en África central y meridional. Posee una licenciatura en Ciencias Contables de la Universidad de Sudáfrica y forma parte del Instituto Sudafricano de Gestión Contable Empresarial.

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Codirectora Ejecutiva
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Agroecology and Food Sovereignty

Context

The search for alternative means of food production based on environmental sustainability is gaining ground across regions. This worldwide search comes with a common characteristic: the need to involve rural people and particularly women, building on their local priorities and knowledge by employing the principle of agroecology.

Definition

Agroecology is a way of practicing agriculture or using technologies that do not harm the environment. It proposes breaking with the hegemonic rural development model based on large landed estates and single-crop plantations that benefit mostly agricultural businesses and entrenches social exclusion.   

In family farming, agroecology manifests as a resistance to the current development model and its social, cultural, environmental, and economic problems. It opposes the lack of the farmer’s financial capital autonomy; and it symbolizes a resistance to the current agribusiness model.

Feminist perspective

Efforts based solely on agroecology may not be sufficient to solve all problems of women’s marginalization and invisibility. A feminist perspective is then crucial to analyze the norms associated with the idea of family as currently constituted as the perfect institution, as well as with the condition of women’s subordination.

In simpler terms, it is important to include in this debate a reflection on socially constructed gender roles to advance the emancipatory potential of agroecology.


Learn more about this proposition

Part of our series of


  Feminist Propositions for a Just Economy

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AWID’s Who Can Fund Me?  Database

Regularly updated and searchable directory of 200+ funders across different sectors and regions that support vital gender justice work. 

Search and mobilize

 

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.

Benoîte Groult

Benoîte fue una periodista, escritora y activista feminista francesa.

Benoîte publicó más de 20 novelas y numerosos ensayos sobre feminismo.

En 1975 se publicó su primer libro, Ainsi Soit-Elle (que podría traducirse «Como ella es»). En él analizaba la historia de los derechos de las mujeres, así como la misoginia y la violencia contra las mujeres.

En su último libro, Ainsi Soit Olympe de Gouges, analizaba los derechos de las mujeres durante la Revolución Francesa, centrándose en la pionera feminista francesa. Olympe de Gouges fue guillotinada en 1793 por desafiar la autoridad masculina; dos años antes había publicado una declaración sobre los derechos de las mujeres («Déclaration Des droits de la Femme et de la Citoyenne»). 


 

Benoïte Groult, France

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

Juhi

Biography

Juhi est passionnée de technologie, titulaire d'une licence en génie informatique de l'Université Technologique du Gujarat et d'une formation de troisième cycle en télécommunications sans fil et en gestion de projet du Humber College. Passionnée par la résolution de problèmes et aimant garder une longueur d'avance dans un paysage technologique en constante évolution, Juhi s'est retrouvée à naviguer dans divers secteurs en tant que technicienne informatique. Grâce à l'environnement stimulant de la School Board, Juhi a eu l'occasion d'appliquer ses compétences techniques dans divers contextes, relevant toujours de nouveaux défis avec enthousiasme. Au-delà du code et des circuits, Juhi aime les aventures de la vie. Explorer de nouveaux lieux et cultures constitue pour elle une bouffée d’air frais. Qu'il s'agisse de découvrir des trésors cachés de la ville, d'essayer des cuisines exotiques ou de se lancer dans des sports d'aventure palpitants, Juhi est toujours partante pour de nouvelles expériences.

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Coordonnatrice du Support informatique
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AWID Members Engaging at CSW61

Member states and women's rights advocates and organisations are gathering at the United Nations Headquarters in New York from 13 - 24 March for the 61st Commission on the Status of Women to address ‘women’s economic empowerment’ in the context of Sustainable Development Goal 5.

Whilst AWID is looking forward to physically meeting those of you who will be in New York, we want to engage with all those who cannot attend CSW, and as much as possible, amplify your voices in relevant spaces.

Continue reading to find out how to engage with AWID around CSW, whether you are attending physically or not.


Participate in an artistic takeover!

We are thrilled that AWID member Nayani Thiyagarajah is attending CSW this year and will take over the AWID Instagram. She will be available onsite to connect with other members for a possible feature on our Instagram. She will also explore possibilities of including some AWID members in a short film on the theme, ‘The personal is political’, a story of Nayani’s participation in this year’s CSW.

Nayani Thiyagarajah

Who is Nayani?

Nayani Thiyagarajah is a director, producer, and writer, dedicated to stories for the screen. A daughter of the Tamil diaspora, she calls Toronto home. For over 10 years, Nayani has worked in the arts and cultural industries. Her first independent feature documentary Shadeism: Digging Deeper (2015) had its World Premiere at the 2015 Zanzibar International Film Festival, where it won a Special Jury Prize. Nayani recently launched [RE]FRAME, with her producing partner Camaro West, a production company based out of Atlanta and Toronto, focused on re-framing the narratives around Black, Indigenous, and other people of colour through storytelling on screen.

On a more serious note, it should be noted that Nayani has a strange laugh, she's quite awkward, and her head is always in the clouds. She feels blessed beyond belief to create stories for the screen and play make believe for a living. Above all else, she believes in love.

(Biography submitted by Nayani)

Interested in meeting Nayani and being considered for inclusion in the film?

  • Send an email to membership@awid.org with the subject line “CSW Artistic Takeover”

  • By 13 March 2017

  • Please include your full name and country information.


Can't attend? Voice it!

If you are not able to attend CSW61 because of a travel ban, either due to the one imposed by the Trump administration or one you are facing from your own government, please share your story with us.

Send us messages you want heard in the United Nations spaces concerning funding, the impact of the reinstatement of the Global Gag Rule, and the need to push back against all types of religious fundamentalisms. You can send these in the following formats:

  • Video: no longer than two minutes and sent through a file sharing folder (for example dropbox, google drive) 

  • Audio: no longer than two minutes and sent through a file sharing folder (for example dropbox, google drive)

  • Image: you can share a photo or a poster of your message 

  • Text: no longer than 200 words and sent in the body of an email or in a word document

Share your message with us


Meet other members @CSW61

AWID members tell us that connecting with other members at CSW is valuable. In such a huge advocacy space, it is useful to connect with others including activists working on similar issues, or originating from the same country or region. Recognising the importance of connecting for movement building, we invite you to:

Interested in connecting with other members @CSW61?

  • Email membership@awid.org with the subject line “CSW AWID Members

  • NOTE: Please let us know your full name and country, and if we can share your email address with other members interested in meeting at CSW. 

Meet current AWID members


Take a picture!

If you are attending the CSW, we’d love to see what’s going on through your eyes!

Show us by capturing a moment you find speaks to the energy in the CSW space, be it on or off site. We hope to publish some of your ‘images’ on our social media channels and share on awid.org

You can send us: 

  • colour and/ or black and white photographs with a title (if you wish) and 

  • a caption (no longer than 100 words) about the story your image tells.

​Please also include:

  • your full name and country of origin and

  • let us know if we can publish the information you shared (in part or in full).

Send your images:

  • Email membership@awid.org with the subject line “CSW: Take a Picture!

  • During the whole CSW or shortly after until Tuesday 28 March 2017. 

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Movement in focus:

Filter your search by funders’ priority support areas that speak to your organizing efforts

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.

Shireen Lateef

Figure inspirante pour de nombreux-ses féministes aux Fidji, Shireen était une alliée de poids du mouvement des femmes. Elle a plaidé sans relâche pour l'égalité de genre aux niveaux local et régional.

Ayant débuté sa carrière en tant que spécialiste de l’égalité de genre à la Banque asiatique de développement, elle a apporté des changements radicaux en matière d’égalité de genre aux politiques de l’institution. Sa recherche, intitulée « La règle des Danda : la violence domestique chez les Indo-Fidjiens », est l'une des premières recherches sur la violence domestique, le mariage et les femmes aux Fidji. Ce travail précurseur a servi de catalyseur pour la militance féministe dans ce domaine.

L’héritage de Shireen lui survit et beaucoup se souviennent de son influence, de son engagement et de son soutien au mouvement des femmes aux Fidji et dans le Pacifique.


 

Shireen Lateef, Fiji