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

Ursula K Le Guin

Read in: English French Spanish
Category
Droits économiques, sociaux et culturels
Region
Amérique du Nord
Date of birth
Date of death / disappearance
Cause of death / disappearance

Naturelle

Ursula était une romancière américaine dont les genres littéraires de prédilection étaient la science-fiction et le genre fantastique.

Elle a connu le succès grâce à son roman « La main gauche de la nuit », où elle imagine une société du futur où les personnes sont ambisexuelles - leur sexe n’est pas déterminé. Parmi les premiers grands livres de science-fiction féministes, ce roman explore les influences du genre et du sexe dans la société. Ursula était une source d'inspiration pour ses écrits subversifs et originaux, ainsi que pour les thèmes du féminisme et de la liberté qui lui tenaient tellement à cœur.

En 1983, lors d'un discours au Mills College en Californie, elle a déclaré aux diplômé-e-s : « Pourquoi une femme libre ayant suivi une formation universitaire devrait-elle combattre Macho-Man ou le servir ? Pourquoi devrait-elle vivre sa vie selon son bon vouloir ? J'espère que vous vivrez sans avoir besoin de dominer et sans avoir besoin d'être dominé-e ».

 

 

Ursula K Le Guin, USA

L’enquête WITM est-elle accessible aux personnes en situation de handicap?

Oui, elle est accessible aux personnes ayant une diversité de capacités d’audition, de mouvement, de vision et cognitives.

Mexican WHRDs

The data from our tribute indicate that Mexico is a particularly dangerous country for defenders. Out of the 12 Mexican Women Human Rights Defenders (WHRDs) we commemorate in this years’ Tribute, 11 were murdered. They were journalists, women’s rights advocates, trans* rights and social activists. Join us in remembering and honoring these WHRDs, 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

 

Événements

Justice vaccinale : Comment s’organiser en tant que féministes pour tenir les États responsables ?

Snippet FEA NSS uplifts and grows (EN)

Nous Sommes la Solution uplifts and grows the leadership of rural women working towards African solutions for food sovereignty.

Janette Sunita

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Category
Sexual & Reproductive Rights
Region
Asia
Central and North Asia
Date of death / disappearance
Cause of death / disappearance

Natural

From India, Janette was feisty, formidable, compassionate and loving.

Janette’s intolerance of injustice and fierce commitment to standing up for all people’s rights led her to work at TARSHI (an NGO that works on sexuality and sexual and reproductive health and rights) for more than 15 years. Janette ably managed and led the finance, human resources and operations aspects of TARSHI’s work, adeptly navigating the labyrinthine bureaucracy to which Indian NGOs are subjected.

Her team remembers that  “She stood watch so we could steer well in open waters. A woman of many talents, Janette not only helped us procure our own office space but also designed it for optimal usage.She loved travel and animals and was interested in animal assisted therapy."

 

Janette Sunita, India

Do I have to respond to all questions at once or can I come back to complete it later?

If you wish to save your responses and come back to the survey later, you are able to do this whenever needed. KOBO will save your draft responses on the top left corner of the survey page and reload your record when you return to the survey. Just make sure to continue from the same computer and browser.

Defensoras del África subsahariana

En nuestro Tributo Virtual 2015 a las defensoras de derechos humanos que ya no están con nosotros/as recordamos a cuatro mujeres del África subsahariana, tres de las cuales fueron asesinadas por el trabajo que realizaban y/o por su identidad de género y orientación sexual. Sus muertes ponen en evidencia la violencia que suelen enfrentar las personas LGBT en la región y en  el mundo. Únete a AWID para honrar a estas defensoras de derechos humanos, su trabajo y su legado, compartiendo los memes aquí incluidos con tus colegas, amistades y redes; 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.  

 

Eventos

Luchando con las palabras: Riesgos y Estrategias para las Periodistas Feministas

Snippet FEA Avellaneda, Gran Buenos Aires (ES)

Avellaneda, Gran Buenos Aires, Argentina

Cooperativa Textil Nadia Echazú

Tejiendo

VIDAS

Juana Raymundo

Read in: English French Spanish
Category
Medioambiente
Region
América Latina
Date of death / disappearance
Cause of death / disappearance

Asesinada

Juana fue una indígena maya ixil, enfermera profesional y coordinadora del Comité de Desarrollo Campesino – CODECA de la microrregión de Nebaj Quiché.

El comité es una organización de derechos humanos formada por granjerxs indígenas dedicada a promover los derechos sobre la tierra y el desarrollo rural para las familias indígenas. Inicialmente, Juana se unió a CODECA como integrante de su rama juvenil, la Juventud de CODECA. Al momento de su muerte, había sido elegida para ser parte del Comité Ejecutivo del Movimiento de Liberación de los Pueblos (MLP).

Su cuerpo fue encontrado por lxs vecinxs, junto a un pequeño río en el camino cerca de Nebaj y Villa Acambalam, en Guatemala. Según CODECA, el cuerpo de Juana mostraba signos de tortura. 

 

Juana Raymundo, Guatemala

He respondido la encuesta, pero cambié de opinión y deseo que se retire nuestra respuesta, ¿qué hago?

Si por algún motivo deseas que retiremos y borremos tus respuestas, tienes todo el derecho a hacerlo. Puedes contactarnos a través del formulario disponible aquí indicando «Encuesta WITM (¿Dónde está el dinero?) » en el título del mensaje, y procederemos a retirar y borrar tu respuesta.

Why and how to renew your AWID membership

Meet Other Members

Our individual and institutional members come from ALL regions of the world and 163 countries. Our latest members join us from France, South Sudan, the United Kingdom, and Lebanon. All of our members bring with them a rich and diverse array of perspectives, experiences, knowledge, energy and inspiration! 

Did you know about our weekly member profiles?

One of the benefits of being an AWID member, is having your story featured on awid.org, in our newsletters which go out to 35,000 subscribers, and via our social media channels which have over 60,000 followers.

Recently featured:

Meet Angila Ashitua, a young woman from Vihiga county in Western Kenya.

Meet other members


Connect, Inspire, Mobilize!

How?

  • By engaging with other members through our online members' forum and directory.
  • By learning more about AWID's work and issues concerning women's rights and social justice through our publications and resources.
  • By participating in our e-learning sessions. Take a look at highlights from our webinar on Data, Resources and Women's Rights!
  • By supporting Women Human Rights Defenders (WHRDs) at risk

And much more!

You can renew your membership for 1, 2 or 3 years and we offer free individual and institutional membership for those with low incomes and budgets.

Renew your membership today

If you have any difficulties and require support with the sign-up process, please do not hesitate to contact us at membership@awid.org

What Our Members Say

"We have found AWID to be a very exciting network and we are involved in many of its platforms." - Engabu Za Tooro (AWID institutional member)

"I am looking forward to a fruitful engagement with the team. Feeling great. Thanks for accepting me as a member." - R. Chakraborty (AWID individual member)

"Thank you so much AWID, your work is tremendous. I really appreciated your efforts." - E. Khan (AWID individual member)

Body

Snippet FEA trans and travesti people in Argentina (FR)

Cette illustration montre une main droite brune avec du vernis à ongles blanc tenant un papier bleu canard sur lequel est écrit en jaune : « Accès au travail formel ».

Seul·es 18 % des trans et travestis en Argentine ont accès à un emploi formel.

Kagendo Murungi

Read in: English French Spanish
Category
Droits des LGBTQI
Region
Afrique
Afrique subsaharienne
Amérique du Nord
Date of death / disappearance
Cause of death / disappearance

Naturelle

Sa famille et ses ami-e-s se souviennent de Kagendo comme d'une activiste, féministe, artiste et cinéaste africaine acharnée

Elle a consacré plus de 20 ans à défendre les droits et la dignité des personnes LGBTIQ d'Afrique et des personnes non conformes du genre. Les collègues de Kagendo se souviennent d'elle comme une personne à la personnalité joviale, à la conviction sans faille et qui aimait la vie. Kagendo est décédée de cause naturelle chez elle à Harlem le 27 décembre 2017.

L'écrivaine et activiste kényane, Shailja Patel, a commenté son décès en ces termes « Tout au long de sa vie, l'engagement de Kagendo à établir des liens entre toutes les formes d’oppressions et à montrer comment le colonialisme a favorisé l'homophobie sur le continent africain, a contribué à rapprocher le Kenya d’un pays où les personnes queer et les femmes indépendantes pourraient vivre et prospérer. »

 

Kagendo Murungi, Kenya

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Oui, n’hésitez pas à le faire! Nous vous encourageons à communiquer le lien vers l’enquête à vos réseaux. Plus les points de vue exprimés et collectés seront divers, plus notre compréhension du paysage du financement de l’organisation des mouvements féministes sera exhaustive.