Left
Half
Left

Special Focus

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

Memory as Resistance: A Tribute to WHRDs no longer with us

AWID’s Tribute is an art exhibition honouring feminists, women’s rights and social justice activists from around the world who are no longer with us. 


In 2020, we are taking a turn

This year’s tribute tells stories and shares narratives about those who co-created feminist realities, have offered visions of alternatives to systems and actors that oppress us, and have proposed new ways of organising, mobilising, fighting, working, living, and learning.

49 new portraits of feminists and Women Human Rights Defenders (WHRDs) are added to the gallery. While many of those we honour have passed away due to old age or illness, too many have been killed as a result of their work and who they are.

This increasing violence (by states, corporations, organized crime, unknown gunmen...) is not only aimed at individual activists but at our joint work and feminist realities.

The stories of activists we honour keep their legacy alive and carry their inspiration forward into our movements’ future work.

Visit the online exhibit

The portraits of the 2020 edition are designed by award winning illustrator and animator, Louisa Bertman

AWID would like to thank the families and organizations who shared their personal stories and contributed to this memorial. We join them in continuing the remarkable work of these activists and WHRDs and forging efforts to ensure justice is achieved in cases that remain in impunity.

“They tried to bury us. They didn’t know we were seeds.” - Mexican Proverb 


The Tribute was first launched in 2012

It took shape with a physical exhibit of portraits and biographies of feminists and activists who passed away at AWID’s 12th International Forum, in Turkey. It now lives as an online gallery, updated every year.

To date, 467 feminists and WHRDs are featured.

Visit the online exhibit

Related Content

Marzo 2015: se publica el Borrador Cero del Documento Final

Difusión del Borrador Cero del Documento Final

  • El Borrador Cero del documento (con fecha 16 de marzo), preparado por los facilitadores, fue difundido para su discusión durante la segunda sesión redactora a realizarse del 13 al 17 de abril de 2015.
  • Durante la sesión de apertura, el WWG pidió que se incorporara al Borrador Cero la asignación de recursos específicamente para la igualdad de género y el empoderamiento de las mujeres, tal como lo estipulan el Consenso de Monterrey y la Declaración de Doha.

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

Snippet FEA Metzineres has supported (EN)

Since its foundation,

Metzineres has supported over:

383

people

Snippet - WCFM Explore and share - EN

Explore and share the databases with your network now!

Qu’est-ce que le processus des Nations Unies sur le financement du développement ?

Le processus de l’Organisation des Nations Unies (ONU) sur le financement du développement (FdD) vise à traiter  différentes formes de financement du développement et de coopération pour le développement. Selon le Consensus de Monterrey, ce processus comporte six axes clés :

  • La mobilisation des ressources financières nationales au service du développement.
  • La mobilisation des ressources internationales au service du développement : investissements étrangers directs et autres flux financiers privés.
  • Le commerce international, comme moteur  du développement.
  • L’accroissement de la coopération financière et technique internationale pour le développement.
  • La dette extérieure.
  • L’examen des questions systémiques : amélioration de la cohérence et de la constance des systèmes monétaires, financiers et commerciaux internationaux en faveur du développement. 

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)

Clone of Snippet FEA Environments Of Shelter (EN)

Metzineres provides the following kinds of support, known as

Environments of Shelter:

Illustration of a pink house with a yellow background

The Cover
Care and healing environment

Illustration of a pink human in white underwear doing a power pose

The Powerful
Self-protection and strengthening

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

The Ivy
Community and neighborhood

Three arms with fist raised: one black, pink, and the last one in purple

The Howl
Participation and activism

Yellow and pink cog wheels

The Bold
Production and entrepreneurship

A pink paint palette with a pink brush with yellow details

Artisana
Art and creativity

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.

Puis-je soumettre une proposition de session ?

L'appel à propositions est maintenant fermé.

Nous avons lancé un Appel à activités le 19 novembre 2019 et la date limite de réception des propositions était le14 février 2020.  

Trouvez d'autres moyens de vous engager sur le chemin du Forum

Snippet FEA EoS The Bold (ES)

Yellow and pink cog wheels

La Osada
Producción y emprendimiento

WITM - Refreshed INFOGRAPHIC 2 ES

¿De qué manera el financiamiento no satisface las necesidades de los movimientos  feministas?

Los movimientos feministas necesitan financiamiento básico y de largo plazo (incluidos ahorros y reservas) para poder mantenerse focalizados en el cambio sistémico. Las reservas no son algo extra: son esenciales para la sostenibilidad.

Consulta los datos sobre la calidad del financiamiento

Quand pourrai-je m’inscrire au Forum ?

Nous vous fournirons cette information sous peu. Restez à l’écoute ! 

 

Who we are & what we do

We are excited to share our new Strategic Plan (2023-2027) with the world. AWID will make an announcement to inform our community and members very soon.


The Association for Women's Rights in Development (AWID) is a global, feminist, membership, movement-support organization.

For 40 years, AWID has been a part of an incredible ecosystem of feminist movements working to achieve gender justice and women’s human rights worldwide.

Our vision

GGAADD | Flickr (CC BY-SA 2.0) - modified

AWID envisions a world where feminist realities flourish, where resources and power are shared in ways that enable everyone, and future generations, to thrive and realize their full potential with dignity, love and respect, and where Earth nurtures life in all its diversity.

Our mission

Our mission is to support feminist, women’s rights and gender justice movements to thrive, to be a driving force in challenging systems of oppression, and to co-create feminist realities.


Our tactics

We advance our work through these tactics:

Influencing, advocacy and campaigning

We collaboratively leverage our access, power, resources and relationships to strategically influence policy and practice. We aim to advance feminist agendas through our work with policy makers, funders and activists in regional and global spaces. We also work to influence feminist and women’s rights movements to centre historically oppressed movements as part of efforts to strengthen our collective power and influence.

Convening and connecting

We use our convening power to facilitate dialogue and strategize on key issues. We connect our members and allies with one another, sharing and exchanging resources, ideas and action across relevant issues. We organize and facilitate spaces to strengthen and engage across movements, to imagine and envisage new futures, to develop effective influencing tactics and to co-create powerful agendas and processes.  

Solidarity and bridge-building

We work to mobilize our members and the movements we support to strengthen collective action in solidarity with feminist causes and defenders at risk. We build partnerships, engage in active listening and ongoing, long-term, solidarity. We work with defenders to build a body of knowledge and support networks of solidarity on protection and wellbeing.

Arts and creative expression

We recognize the unique and strategic value of cultural and creative strategies in the struggle against oppression and injustice. We work with artists who centre feminist voices and the narratives of historically oppressed communities. In this emerging tactic, we see art and creative expression helping us envision a world where feminist realities continue to flourish and be celebrated. 


Marcha da Mulheres negras - 2016

Our initiatives

Our initiatives work at the intersections of the sites of change we work to address, the movements we prioritize, and the tactics we use​:

Advancing Universal Rights and Justice

We monitor, document and make visible how anti-rights actors are operating and colluding in multilateral spaces and support feminist, women’s rights and gender justice movements and allies to counter their influence and impact.

Building Feminist Economies

Working on extractivism, tax justice and corporate accountability, we build knowledge on corporate power and influence; advocate for corporate accountability and equitable distribution of wealth; and amplify feminist proposals for just economies. 

Resourcing Feminist Movements

We develop accessible, action-oriented analysis on the state of resourcing for feminist movements. We aim to influence funders’ policies and practices, deepen and sustain funding for feminist social change, and support movements’ needs and strategies. 

In addition to the impact we aim to have in the world, AWID is expressly committed to strengthening our own organizational learning and resilience in order to further strengthen global feminist movements. 


Our donors

Thank you!

Without the generous funding and support from our donors, our work would not be possible

Wellspring Philanthropic Fund
Ford Foundation
Open Society Foundations
 
Sida
Government of The Netherlands
Foundation For A Just Society
 
 
Disability Rights Advocacy Fund
   

Snippet FEA Nous Sommes la Solution (ES)

The logo of We Are The Solution with green silhouettes of four rural woment

Nous Sommes la Solution es un movimiento de mujeres rurales por la soberanía alimentaria en África Occidental. Originalmente fundada como una campaña contra la agricultura hiper-industrializada, Nous Sommes la Solution se ha convertido en un movimiento de más de 500 asociaciones de mujeres rurales de Burkina Faso, Senegal, Ghana, Gambia, Guinea Bissau, Malí y Guinea.

Este movimiento liderado por mujeres está construyendo y fortaleciendo la soberanía alimentaria y de semillas en África Occidental. Alimentan a las comunidades, fortalecen las economías locales, amplían el conocimiento de las mujeres agricultoras y mitigan los efectos devastadores de la crisis climática a través de las prácticas agroecológicas. También organizan talleres, foros y transmisiones de radio comunitarias para compartir sus mensajes, conocimientos tradicionales y prácticas agroecológicas en las comunidades rurales.

En colaboración con universidades y centros públicos de investigación, Nous Sommes la Solution trabaja para restaurar las variedades indígenas de arroz (un alimento esencial de África Occidental) y promover economías alimentarias locales basadas en principios agroecológicos para influir en la formulación de políticas nacionales, mientras apoya a las mujeres en la creación de asociaciones agrícolas y su acceso a la propiedad y gestión colectiva de las tierras agrícolas.

Snippet - COP30 - Resisting Ecofascisms - ES

Resistencia a los ecofascismos: Un diálogo entre movimientos en la COP30

Cómo los movimientos resisten las agendas fascistas en relación con el cambio climático.

📅 Martes 11 de noviembre de 2025
📍 Hotel Beira Rio, Belém, Pará