Special Focus

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

Confronting Extractivism & Corporate Power

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Women human rights defenders (WHRDs) worldwide defend their lands, livelihoods and communities from extractive industries and corporate power. They stand against powerful economic and political interests driving land theft, displacement of communities, loss of livelihoods, and environmental degradation.

Why resist extractive industries?

Extractivism is an economic and political model of development that commodifies nature and prioritizes profit over human rights and the environment. Rooted in colonial history, it reinforces social and economic inequalities locally and globally. Often, Black, rural and Indigenous women are the most affected by extractivism, and are largely excluded from decision-making. Defying these patriarchal and neo-colonial forces, women rise in defense of rights, lands, people and nature.

Critical risks and gender-specific violence

WHRDs confronting extractive industries experience a range of risks, threats and violations, including criminalization, stigmatization, violence and intimidation.  Their stories reveal a strong aspect of gendered and sexualized violence. Perpetrators include state and local authorities, corporations, police, military, paramilitary and private security forces, and at times their own communities.

Acting together

AWID and the Women Human Rights Defenders International Coalition (WHRD-IC) are pleased to announce “Women Human Rights Defenders Confronting Extractivism and Corporate Power”; a cross-regional research project documenting the lived experiences of WHRDs from Asia, Africa and Latin America.

We encourage activists, members of social movements, organized civil society, donors and policy makers to read and use these products for advocacy, education and inspiration.

Share your experience and questions!

Tell us how you are using the resources on WHRDs Confronting extractivism and corporate power.

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Thank you!

AWID acknowledges with gratitude the invaluable input of every Woman Human Rights Defender who participated in this project. This project was made possible thanks to your willingness to generously and openly share your experiences and learnings. Your courage, creativity and resilience is an inspiration for us all. Thank you!

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June 2015

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About the AWID International Forum

More than an event!

The AWID International Forum is a truly global space that gives participants an opportunity to network, build alliances, celebrate, and learn in a stimulating, emotive and safe atmosphere. 

AWID International Forum in Costa de Sauipe, Brazil, 2016

More and more, we are trying to bring the Forum process outside of the convening’s borders. Engaging with partners and deepening relationships all year round, connecting with local movements to better understand problems and co-create solutions. The Forum event itself, held every three to four years in a different region of the world, is just a crystallization of all these alliances that we are building as part of our work.

The AWID Forum dissolves our inner and external boundaries, fosters deep discussion, personal and professional growth, and strengthens our movements for gender justice and women’s rights.

As a convening, it is a response to the urgency to promote stronger and more coordinated engagement and action by feminists, women’s rights and other social justice advocates, organizations and movements. We also believe that the Forum is more than just an event – it can facilitate a process to influence thinking and set agendas for feminist movements and other related actors.

Evolving from a national conference of around 800 people, the event now brings together around 2000 feminists, community leaders, social justice activists, and donor agencies from around the world. 

The 14th AWID International Forum will take place 11-14 January 2021 in Taipei, Taiwan.

Find out more!

The past Forums

2016 - Feminist Futures: Building Collective Power for Rights and Justice (Costa de Sauipe, Brazil)

Participants at the Black Feminisms Forum in Brazil, 2016

Given the complex world that we face today, the 2016 AWID Forum did not focus on a particular “issue”, but rather on creating more effective ways of working together!

Despite the challenging contexts in which the 2016 Forum took place (the Zika epidemic, a strike by Brazilian foreign-service workers, the impeachment of President Dilma Rousseff and subsequent turmoil), it succeeded in bringing together over 1800 participants from 120 countries and territories across all regions of the world.

What happened at the 13th AWID international Forum:

  • For 96% of participants who responded to the post Forum evaluation survey, the Forum was a major source of inspiration and energy.

  • 98% of participants considered it an important convening space for feminist movements and expressed hope that AWID continues to organize forums.

  • 59% of Forum evaluation survey respondents declared to be very satisfied with the Forum and 34% somewhat satisfied.

  • Over 150 sessions were delivered in different formats on a variety of topics ranging from bodily integrity and freedoms, to gender-based violence in the workplace, to strategies for building collective power.

  • The first-time Black Feminisms Forum (BFF), held just before the main AWID Forum, brought together 250 Black feminists from all over the world to co-create a powerful space to build and strengthen ongoing, intergenerational, transnational connections

Read more about what the 2016 AWID Forum achieved:

Download the Forum evaluation report

2012 - Transforming Economic Power to Advance Women's Rights and Justice (Istambul, Turkey)

AWID International Forum, in Cape Town, South Africa, 2008

The 12th AWID Forum was the largest and most diverse AWID Forum to date, bringing together 2239 women’s rights activists from 141 countries. Of these participants, around 65% were from the Global South and close to 15% were young women under 30, and 75% attended an AWID Forum for their first time.

The Forum program focused on transforming economic power to advance women’s rights and justice and featured over 170 different kinds of sessions including feminist economics toolbox skills-building sessions, breakout sessions representing all 10 Forum themes, in-depth sessions, and solidarity roundtables. 

Building on the momentum of the 2012 Forum, we transformed the website into a resource and learning Hub, which builds on the content generated by participants by featuring multi-media resources on all Forum components. 

Visit the 2012 Forum web archive

All AWID Forums

  • 2016: Feminist Futures: Building Collective Power for Rights and Justice (Costa de Sauipe, Brazil). Read the 2016 Forum Evaluation report
  • 2012: Transforming Economic Power to Advance Women's Rights and Justice (Istanbul, Turkey)
  • 2008: The Power of Movements (Cape Town, South Africa). Read our 2008 Forum Report
  • 2005: How does change happen? (Bangkok, Thailand)
  • 2002: Reinventing Globalization (Guadalajara, Mexico)
  • 1999: Leading Solutions for Equality and Justice (US)
  • 1996: Beyond Beijing From Words to Action (US)
  • 1993: Joining Forces to Further Shared Visions (US)
  • 1991: Working Together/Learning Together: A South North Dialogue (US)
  • 1989/1990: Global Em-Powerment for Women (US)
  • 1987: Moving Forward: Innovations in Development Policy, Action and Research (US)
  • 1985: Women Creating Wealth; Transforming Economic Development (US)
  • 1983: ‘Women in Development’ (Washington D.C, US)

Snippet - WITM Why now_col 1 - FR

Pourquoi maintenant?

A monochromatic orange illustration of a woman with curly hair with her hand on her chin. She seems to inquisitive or posing a question.

Dans le monde entier, les mouvements féministes, de défense des droits des femmes, pour la justice de genre, pour la défense des personnes LBTQI+ et les mouvements alliés vivent un moment critique, face à de puissantes remises en question de droits et libertés pourtant acquis.

Ces dernières années ont vu la rapide montée de l’autoritarisme, de la violente répression de la société civile et de la criminalisation des défenseur·ses des droits humains des femmes et des personnes de genre divers, l’escalade de guerres et de conflits dans plusieurs régions du monde, la perpétuation des injustices économiques et de crises conjuguant la santé, l’écologie et les changements climatiques.

Anna Campbell (şehid Hêlîn Qerecox)

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Category
Derechos civiles y políticos
Region
Europa
Europa Occidental
Date of death / disappearance
Cause of death / disappearance

Alcanzada 

Anna creció en Lewes, Sussex (Reino Unido) y se mudó a Bristol, donde se hizo plomera, luego de decidir que no iba a continuar con su carrera de Inglés en la Universidad de Sheffield.

Dedicó mucho de su tiempo a defender a las personas marginadas y sin privilegios, a participar de marchas antifascistas y a ofrecer apoyo a las mujeres de la Granja Dale cuando estuvieron bajo amenaza de desalojo. Vegana y amante de los animales, participó en sabotajes a partidas de caza y su nombre es honrado en el Monumento «Árbol de la vida», de PETA. En mayo de 2017, Anna se trasladó a Rojava llevada por su fuerte compromiso con el empoderamiento de las mujeres, la plena representación de todas las identidades étnicas y la protección del ambiente.

Murió el 15 de marzo de 2018, al ser alcanzada durante un bombardeo aéreo de fuerzas turcas a la ciudad de Afrin, en el norte de Siria. Anna cayó combatiendo junto a las Unidades de Protección de las Mujeres (YPJ).

 

Anna Campbell (şehid Hêlîn Qerecox), UK

Snippet FEA EoS Artisana (ES)

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Artisana
Arte y creatividad

¿Cuáles son algunos de los debates y las áreas conflictivas?

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After the gallery

Some English aside content

Snippet - WITM Our objectives - FR

Les objectifs de notre recherche WITM :

1

Fournir aux membres de l’AWID, partenaires du mouvement et financeurs une analyse actualisée, robuste, éprouvée et orientée sur l’action des réalités du financement des mouvements féministes et de l’état actuel de l’écosystème du financement féministe.

2

Identifier et expliquer les occasions d’orienter davantage de financement de meilleure qualité vers l’organisation des mouvements féministes, mettre en lumière les fausses solutions et mettre un frein aux tendances à cause desquelles les financements ne parviennent pas et/ou vont à l’encontre des programmes de justice de genre et féministes intersectionnels.

3

Formuler les visions, propositions et programmes féministes en faveur de la justice du financement.
 

Annaliza Dinopol Gallardo Capinpin

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Category
Environnement
Region
Pacifique
Date of death / disappearance
Cause of death / disappearance

Tuée par balle

Annaliza était la présidente du Conseil de réforme agraire des pionniers de Mindanao, un groupe de coordination de la ville de Tacurong, aux Philippines.

Mère aimée de quatre enfants, sa communauté se souvient d’Annaliza comme de « celle qui dirige quand personne ne veut diriger, qui parle quand personne ne veut parler, qui a eu le courage d'aider les bénéficiaires de la réforme agraire à acquérir des terres ».

Annaliza a été abattue par des assaillants inconnus devant l'Université d'État de Sultan Kudarat (SKSU) alors qu'elle se rendait au lycée national Salabaca à Esperanza.

Sa famille a déclaré : « Naghihintay pa rin kami ng hustisya para sa kanya » (nous attendons toujours que justice lui soit rendue).

 

Snippet FEA NSS has a vision of an Africa (ES)

“Nous Sommes la Solution tiene una visión de una África donde, en solidaridad, las mujeres rurales involucradas en la toma de decisiones puedan cultivar, procesar, vender y consumir productos de la agricultura familiar preservando el medio ambiente, para un desarrollo sostenible, armonioso y duradero”.

Je ne suis pas en mesure de soumettre une proposition écrite, acceptez-vous d’autres formats?

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Dans le cadre de notre engagement en faveur de l’accessibilité dans tous les aspects du Forum de l’AWID, nous acceptons les formats audio/vidéo pour tous les individus/organisations/groupes qui ne peuvent soumettre de candidature écrite. Si vous décidez d’envoyer votre proposition sous format audio/vidéo, nous vous prions de bien vouloir répondre aux questions dans le même ordre, telles que détaillées dans le Formulaire de proposition d’activité.

Pour soumettre un fichier audio/vidéo, merci de nous contacter via notre formulaire de contact en choisissant « Proposition d'activité » comme sujet de votre message.

Contactez-nous

 

Defending LGBTQI Rights

Student, Writer, Leader, Advocate. Each of the four women honored below had their own way of activism but what they had in common is that they all promoted and defended Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Queer and Intersex rights. Join us in remembering and honoring these Women Human Rights Defenders, their work and legacy by sharing the memes below and tweeting by using the hashtags #WHRDTribute and #16Days. 

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

 

Pourquoi devrais-je envisager de participer à l’enquête?

Votre participation à l’enquête WITM est importante à plusieurs égards. Vous aurez, notamment, l’occasion de faire part de votre expérience vécue de la mobilisation de fonds pour soutenir votre organisation, de réclamer votre autorité en tant qu’experte sur la manière dont l’argent est transféré et qui il atteint réellement, et de contribuer à un plaidoyer collectif et cohérent auprès de financeurs afin que les fonds circulent davantage et soient de meilleure qualité. Au cours des deux dernières décennies, la recherche WITM de l’AWID s’est révélée être une ressource clé pour les activistes et les financeurs. Nous vous invitons chaleureusement à participer à sa troisième édition pour souligner la situation actuelle des ressources, remettre en question les fausses solutions, et identifier les modifications nécessaires dans le financement afin que les mouvements s’épanouissent et relèvent les défis complexes de notre époque.

Benoîte Groult

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Category
Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
Region
Europe
Date of birth
Date of death / disappearance
Cause of death / disappearance

Natural

Benoîte was a French journalist, writer, and feminist activist.

She published more than 20 novels as well as many essays on feminism.

Her first book “Ainsi Soit-Elle” (loosely translated as “As She Is”) was published in 1975. The book explored the history of women’s rights as well as misogyny and violence against women.

Her last book, “Ainsi Soit Olympe de Gouges,” explored women’s rights during the French Revolution, centering on the early French feminist Olympe de Gouges. De Gouges was guillotined in 1793 for challenging male authority and publishing a declaration of women’s rights (“Déclaration Des droits de la Femme et de la Citoyenne”) two years earlier. 

 

Benoïte Groult, France

Snippet FEA Objectives NSS - Traditional Knowledge (FR)

LES SAVOIRS TRADITIONNELS

Brown hands with yellow seeds in the palms
Utiliser et promouvoir les savoirs et pratiques traditionnels transmis de génération en génération, qui soutiennent la souveraineté alimentaire et la préservation des semences paysannes

Que comprennent les frais d’inscription ?

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Les frais d’inscription au Forum de l’AWID pour tou-te-s les participant-e-s couvrent : 

  • Accès complet aux quatre jours du Forum 
  • Déjeuners et pauses café/thé pendant les journées du Forum 
  • Documentation
  • Traduction simultanée lors des sessions plénières et quelques sessions/activités sélectionnées en petits groupes (anglais, français, espagnol et langue locale) 
  • Participation au dîner/à la fête de célébration 
  • Application mobile avec programme final et fonction “chat” intégrée 
  • Service WiFi gratuit dans les locaux du Forum  
  • Accueil à l’aéroport et transport hôtel-site-hôtel.