Half full or half empty? Will UN and Member States use their power to advance a transformative development agenda?

Today we stand at the last milestone of the post 2015 development agenda process. In the coming two weeks of negotiations at the UN – and the months of informal consultations to follow - there will be debates on the language of the initial declaration, the SDGs and their targets, the means of implementation (MOI); and follow up and review mechanisms outlined in the draft outcome document.

Addis delegates failed to put money where mouth was on gender equality

World leaders at the development finance summit may have paid lip service to women’s rights, but the Addis Ababa action agenda tells a different story

Afro-feminism in France: The Struggle for Self-Emancipation

As part of the “Undoing the Empire” teach-in, AWID met with Annette Davis, Sharone Omankoy and Fania Noël, all three members of Collectif Afroféministe MWASI (MWASI Afrofeminist Collective), to learn more about the French collective's activism in a context characterized by racism and misogyny and other forms of discrimination.

Governments Must Respect, Protect and Fulfill Human Rights of All People, Regardless of Sexual Orientation, Gender Expression, and Gender Identity

The 29th session of the UN Human Rights Council in June 2015 saw the introduction of the second ever Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) report on ‘Discrimination & Violence against Individuals Based on their Sexual Orientation & Gender Identity’. AWID spoke with Cynthia Rothschild, feminist, human rights and sexual rights activist, about the significance of the report and outcomes of the June 2015 Human Rights Council session.

The Bumpy Road to Addis (FfD3): What’s at Stake for Women’s Rights

With only a few days until the Third International Conference on Financing for Development (FfD3) starts on July 13th in the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa, and governments at the UN headquarters in New York are still locked in negotiations on the outcome document. In the midst of this uncertainty, one thing is certain - what is finally agreed in Addis will impact how the next fifteen years of development financing are shaped, including financing for women’s rights, gender equality and the sustainable development goals (SDGs), to be agreed on September 2015 at the UN General Assembly.

Afro-descendant Women Organise Towards the Decade for People of African Descent and Beyond

AWID spoke with Dorotea Wilson, general coordinator of the Afro-descendant women in Latin America, the Caribbean (LAC) and the Diaspora, about the situation of Afro-descendant women in the region and how they are organizing and preparing for the Decade for People of African Descent.

One year of unjust detainment in Egypt: Yara Sallam’s mom says prison hasn’t changed her ‘rights’ defending’ daughter

No mother ever wants to see her child in prison but Rawia Sadek is not letting her daughter Yara Sallam’s incarceration bring her down.

Dead, Battered, Missing: Women migrants sacrificed in Euro-Mediterranean policies

To commemorate World Refugee Day, celebrated each year on June 20th, AWID spoke to Yasmine Flitti, Director of Finance and Administration with Comede (Committee for the Health of Exiles) and Hélène Rama Niang Diagne, President and Founder of FECSDA (Women Education Culture Health and Development in Africa), to learn more about the issues and challenges of migration in the Mediterranean region from a feminist perspective.

A Home Away From Home in Singapore

A Home Away from Home Singapore is a campaign that aims to raise awareness of violence and other issues that domestic workers in Singapore are facing. Through this project, we wanted to increase visibility and, in the long run, inclusivity through a day of appreciation for the domestic workers themselves and to try to effect attitudinal change in the minds of the general public.

Lebanon: Domestic Workers Need the Protection of a Union

To commemorate International Domestic Workers’ Day on June 16th, AWID spoke to Sawsan Abdulrahim, professor of health science at the American University of Beirut, to learn about the issues and challenges in unionizing domestic workers in Lebanon.