Gains in advancing women’s and girl’s human rights at the HRC44

Joint Statement by Sexual Rights Initiative, Center for Reproductive Rights, Choice for Youth and Sexuality, Association of Women’s Rights in Development and Association for Progressive Communications, welcoming the gains in advancing women’s and girl’s human rights at the 44th Session of the Human Rights Council

The resolution on elimination of discrimination against women and girls, led by Mexico, and co-sponsored by 63 States as of 17 July 2020 focused on multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination faced by women and girls and the

Postponing the 14th AWID International Forum

Given the current state of the COVID 19 pandemic, our Board of Directors has decided to postpone the 14th AWID International Forum to September 20-23, 2021. The location of the Forum remains Taipei, Taiwan.

How ‘efficient’ can the HRC really be if it restricts civil society contributions to its work?

Joint statement for HRC44 virtual meeting of the HRC President with NGOs 

We acknowledge the challenges confronting OHCHR, member states and CSOs as we attempt to resume critical human rights work while taking seriously health risks associated with COVID-19. We appreciate the efforts made to overcome these challenges, including by increasing remote and online participation. We would like to bring to your attention some of the barriers to participation we have experienced in this session.

The Feminist and the post-COVID-19 state

by Inna Michaeli

Talking to feminists these days, you get a range of perspectives on the current crisis and where we’re headed.

The most lethal virus is not COVID-19

by Margo Okazawa-Rey

The escalating panic and fear surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic is palpable across the social spectrum.

The Governor of California, the US State where I live, has ordered the entire state to “shelter in place” for the foreseeable future, meaning we can leave home only for essential tasks. Yes, the virus is yet to be fully known and controlled; yes, the incidence of infection is increasing and cannot be predicted accurately; yes this virus causes death. And yes, we must keep washing our hands and taking other precautions and maintaining physical distance.

Feminists, it’s time to decide where public resources go

What if we had trillions of public dollars for all people and communities hit hard by the Covid-19 crisis? Our policy brief and workshop facilitation guide can turn these "what if we had these resources" into "what we can use these resources for".

Autonomous resourcing: the engine room of feminist work amid a global pandemic

by Rochelle Jones

Feminists have mobilized on a massive scale to generate our own autonomous resources for daily acts of solidarity and survival and to respond politically, collectively, and powerfully to this moment. Many of these actions are coming from within communities and movements in some of the hardest hit and less privileged places, and especially amongst Black, LBTQI+, disability, migrant, land & labour movements. Some of the responses are localised, while others are global.

 

Feminist experiences of organising politically across virtual worlds

by Nana Darkoa Sekyiamah, Faye Macheke, Felogene Anumo, Ledys Sanjuan Mejia, Margarita Salas

In recognition of this particular moment in time, and knowing that so many movements may be relying more and more on organising remotely for the next few months, APC, AWID and FRIDA share some of what we have learnt around how to organise politically in virtual worlds.

What does resourcing for social movements look like when the entire ecosystem is under threat?

by Kellea Miller

In just weeks, the spread of COVID-19 has drastically changed the landscape of our lives. Long-standing deficiencies in systems of care, We can’t predict what the short or long-term effects will be. However, funders can - and should - take stop-gap measures to support organizing now.

Feminist Economic Realities: Building the Worlds We Need

by Ana Abelenda, Felogene Anumo, Luam Kidane, Margaret Mapondera, Marta Music, Sofía Garzón

As we write this text, the climate crisis, the COVID-19 pandemic, growing authoritarianism and fundamentalisms along with severe economic inequalities are magnifying what has been known by many - the exploitation of people’s labor and the earth’s natural resources in the name of market-based neo-liberal economics cannot and will not save us.