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)

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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

Type

Nuestra agrupación, organización o movimiento no está registrado, ¿deberíamos responder la encuesta de todos modos?

Absolutamente; deseamos saber de ustedes y su experiencia con la obtención de recursos.

Snippet FEA EoS The Ivy (FR)

An illustration of a vine with vine like leaves in neon with purple background

Le lierre
Communauté et quartier

From “WID” to “GAD” to Women’s Rights: The First Twenty Years of AWID

In 2002 AWID celebrated its 20th anniversary. Given the challenging political, economic and funding environment in which women's organizations must survive, a milestone such as this is worthy of recognition.

In the past two decades the geo-political landscape has been transformed and development theories have come and gone, but approaches to ensure women benefit from development processes have endured.

In its twenty-year history, AWID grew from a volunteer organization for U.S. "Women in Development" (WID) specialists to an international network striving to support proactive and strategic gender equality research, activism and policy dialogue.

On the occasion of its 20th anniversary, this paper charts not only the changes in AWID's organizational structure and goals but also the shifts in policy approaches to gender equality in a changing global environment, through the lens of a membership organization committed to improving the lives of women and girls everywhere.

Quelle est votre définition du financement extérieur?

Le financement extérieur inclut les subventions et autres formes de financement de la part de fondations philanthropiques, de gouvernements, de financeurs bilatéraux, multilatéraux ou d’entreprise et de donateur·rices individuel·les, qu’elles et ils soient de votre pays ou de l’étranger. Il exclut les ressources que les groupes, organisations et/ou mouvements génèrent de manière autonome (ressource en anglais), telles que les cotisations d’adhésion, contributions volontaires du personnel, de membres et/ou de soutiens, les collectes de fonds communautaires, les locations de salles et ventes de services. Les définitions des différents types de financement, ainsi que de courtes descriptions des différents bailleurs de fonds, sont incluses dans l’enquête pour une meilleure compréhension.

Snippet FEA We are living in a world (EN)

We are living in a world where the destruction of Nature fuels our current global economy.

Even in times of climate crisis, governments continue to encourage large-scale agriculture industries to expand. These activities poison the land, threaten biodiversity, and destroy local food production and livelihoods. Meanwhile, while women produce the majority of our food in the world, they own almost none of the land.

What if we perceived land and Nature not as private property to exploit, but as a whole to live in, learn from, and harmoniously coexist with? What if we repaired our relationships with the land and embraced more sustainable alternatives that nurture both the planet and its communities?

Nous Sommes la Solution (We Are the Solution, NSS) is one of many women-led movements striving to do this. This is their story.

Mujeres indígenas por la defensa de los derechos

Estas defensoras lucharon por los derechos sobre la tierra, de las mujeres y de los pueblos indígenas; haciendo frente a las industrias extractivas, escribiendo poesía y promoviendo el amor. Una de ellas desapareció hace ya 19 años. Únete a nosotras para recordar y honrar a estas defensoras de derechos humanos, su trabajo y su legado, compartiendo los memes aquí incluidos; y tuiteando las etiquetas #WHRDTribute y #16Días.

Por favor, haz click en cada imagen de abajo para ver una versión más grande y para descargar como un archivo.  

 

Is the WITM survey accessible for people with disabilities?

Yes, the survey is accessible to people with a diverse range of hearing, movement, sight, and cognitive abilities.

Snippet FEA Agroecology And Food (EN)

AGROECOLOGY AND FOOD SOVEREIGNTY AS RESISTANCE

Today, large-scale industrial food production uses single-crop plantations, genetically modified organisms and other pesticides that destroy the land and knowledge of local communities.

Agroecology is a resistance to corporate-driven agriculture. It prioritizes smaller scale agriculture, multiple crops and diversified food production, and the centering of local knowledge and practices. Agroecology goes hand-in-hand with demands for food sovereignty, or the “right of peoples to healthy and culturally appropriate food produced through ecologically sound and sustainable methods, and their right to define their own food and agriculture systems”(Via Campesina, Declaration of Nyéléni).

The role of women, indigenous and rural communities and people of color from the Global South is absolutely essential when it comes to food systems. Feminist agroecologists are working to dismantle oppressive gender roles and systems of patriarchy embedded within food production. As shown by the heroines of NSS, they are generating a liberatory agroecology by strengthening community resilience, empowering women peasants and farmers, and preserving local traditions, territories, and knowledge of food-producing communities.

Trans* rights require stronger protection

These transgender women were murdered because of their activism and their gender identity. There are insufficient laws recognizing trans* rights, and even where these laws exist, very little is being done to safeguard the rights of trans* people. Please join AWID in honoring these defenders, their activism and legacy by sharing the memes below with your colleagues, networks and friends and by using the hashtags #WHRDTribute and #16Days.

Please click on each image below to see a larger version and download as a file 

 

¿Cuánto tiempo toma responder la encuesta?

El tiempo estimado para responder la encuesta es de 30 minutos.

María Verónica Reina

Read in: English French Spanish
Category
Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
Region
Latin America
Date of death / disappearance

María was recognized globally for her extraordinary leadership in the disability community.

She represented the International Disability and Development Consortium during the negotiation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (2001-2006).

Her work was devoted to the implementation of the goal of the Convention - realization of universal human rights by, for and with persons with disabilities for an inclusive, accessible and sustainable world.

In her words, her leadership was about “...serving the disability community, starting with small tasks that others may not wish to do”.

She passed away on October 27, 2017 in her hometown of Rosario, Argentina.

Read more about María Verónica Reina in her own words 

 

 

María Verónica Reina, Argentina

Snippet FEA Bio fertilizer and Sum-Pack (ES)

ILUSTRACIÓN DE PRODUCTOS NSS: Fertilizante orgánico y Sum-Pack - Cubitos de caldo natural

1. Gather your resources

This section highlights key resources recommended by AWID so you can conduct your own WITM research.

In this section

People needed

  • 1 or more person(s) to lead overall implementation of research methodology and ensure all key pieces are on track (Sections 2-11)
  • 1 or more person(s) to conceptualize the key research objectives and guiding questions
  • 1 or more person(s) to refine and conduct the research methodology, including collecting data
  • 1 or more person(s) to conduct relevant qualitative and quantitative analysis of collected data
  • 1 or more person(s) to document and package research findings for desired audience(s)
  • 1 or more person(s) to serve as an editor to your final products
  • 1 or more person(s) to conduct outreach to spread the word about your survey and advocacy using your research results

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Potential expenses

  1. Staff and/or consultant salaries
  2. Data analysis software if conducting analysis of large dataset in-house. Options:
    - SPSS
    - Stata
    - R (this is free)
  3. Cost of producing publications and research products
  4. If desired, incentive prize that survey participants can win if they complete the survey
  5. If desired, incentives to offer your advisors

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Estimated time

  • For research process: 6 to 18 months, depending on size of dataset(s) and staff capacity
  • For advocacy: 1-2 years, as determined by your organizational goals

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Resources needed

  • List of advisor organizations, donors and activists
  • List of online spaces and events/networks to distribute your survey and present your survey results
  • List of donors, activists, and women’s rights organizations to interview
  • Prepared interview questions
  • List of publication sources to use for desk research

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Resources available

Online tools

Once you gather these resources, you can estimate the costs for your research using our “Ready to Go? Worksheet”

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Previous step

Before you begin

Next step

2. Frame your research

Previous step

Before you begin

Next step

2. Frame your research

The Ready to Go? Worksheet helps you estimate resources, staff and budget needed for your research

Download the toolkit in PDF