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.

Human Rights Council (HRC)

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.
 

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Type

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With smart filtering for Who Can Fund Me?  Database, you can search for funders based on:

Snippet SM CTA_Fest (EN)

Follow us on social media and share about your favorite moments from our festival:

Facebook: @AWIDWomensRights
Instagram: @awidwomensrights
Twitter ENG: @awid
LinkedIn: Association for Women's Rights in Development (AWID)

D'où provient le financement de l’AWID ?

Le travail de l’AWID est rendu possible par la générosité d’un large éventail de donateurs, y compris les agences bilatérales et multilatérales, les fondations privées et les fonds pour les femmes.

Voir la liste de nos donateurs actuels

Snippet WITM survey result - EN

DATA SNAPSHOTS

Where is the money for feminist organizing?

1,174 feminist, women's rights & LGBTQI+ organizations 
from 129 countries participated in AWID's 2024 survey.

The data reveals the state of resourcing for feminist movements between 2021-2023, amid current major defunding trends in aid and philanthropy.

Our collective power knows no boundaries, but our bank accounts do.

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Can organizations be members of AWID?

Yes, we encourage institutional membership.

AWID currently has hundreds of prominent, innovative organizations working on issues related to women’s rights and development as members. Criteria for membership are the same as for individuals, although membership fees and membership benefits are different, and are geared to address the needs of our member organizations.

Find out more about our membership

WITM - Refreshed INFOGRAPHIC 2 EN

How funding falls short for feminist movements

Feminist movements need core and long-term funding - including savings and reserves - to stay focused on systemic change. Reserves aren’t extras; they're essential for sustainability.

Explore the data on the quality of funding

Snippet FEA FIGHT LIKE SOMEONE WHO CARES (FR)

São Paulo, Brésil

COZINHA OCUPAÇÃO 9 DE JULHO

Lutte comme quelqu'un·e qui

PREND SOIN

Estoy interesada en trabajar en favor de los derechos de las mujeres, ¿cómo empiezo?

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Resisting Ecofascisms: A cross-movement dialogue at COP30

How movements are resisting fascist agendas in relation to climate change.

📅 Tuesday, November 11, 2025 
📍 Beira Rio Hotel, Belém, Pará

Snippet FEA Introducing Carmen Silva Ferreira (EN)

We have the pleasure to introduce you to Carmen Silva Ferreira.

She was born in Bahia, the Northeastern part of Brazil. She is an immigrant, a social activist and a mother of 8 children.

Carmen experienced homelessness at the age of 35, after migrating to Sao Paulo on her own. This led her to become a fierce advocate for vulnerable, marginalized and invisibilized communities most affected by the housing crisis. She eventually became one of the founders of MSTC in 2000.

As a visionary political organizer and the current leader of the MSTC, Carmen’s work has laid bare the city's housing crisis and provided inspiration to others on different ways to organize and manage occupations. She stood strong on the forefront of several occupations. One of them is the 9 de Julho Occupation, which now serves as a stage for direct democracy, and a space where everyone can be heard, seen, appreciated and work together.

Carmen has been long celebrated for her boldness in giving life back to abandoned buildings in the heart of São Paulo.

To know more about her life, you can follow her on Instagram!

Je suis une défenseuse des droits humains et je me sens en danger. À qui puis-je m’adresser pour obtenir du soutien ?

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Día Mundial de Acción

Movimientos que marchan en todo el mundo por la justicia climática.

📅 Sábado, 15 de noviembre de 2025
📍 Varias ubicaciones

Más información aquí

Déclarations

Les groupes féministes refusent les tentatives étatiques de recul sur la justice de genre au CDH50

Snippet FEA ASOM Challenges Story 1 (ES)

DESAFÍOS

  • Cambio Climático
  • Acesso a créditos
  • Intermediários