-CSW 68, a decisive moment : Equipop and over a hundred partners call on Member States to fight back the “backlash” against women and LGBTQIA+ people’s rights
Responding to Equipop’s call, over a hundred civil society organizations have signed an open letter calling on UN member states and their diplomats to mobilize in New York to defend the fundamental rights of women and LGBTQIA+ people, and to coordinate with feminist civil society to counter the backlash.
Once again, this year, Equipop is present at the 68th edition of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), taking place from March 11 to 22 in New York, to defend the issues of gender equality and the rights of women and LGBTQIA+ people.
The stakes are high: conservative states and anti-rights actors are organizing to attack sexual and reproductive rights and health. In particular, they are seeking to strip the agreed conclusions of their transformative potential that is vital to achieving progress in these fundamental rights.
Responding to Equipop’s call, over a hundred civil society organizations have signed an open letter calling on UN member states and their diplomats to mobilize in New York to defend the fundamental rights of women and LGBTQIA+ people, and to coordinate with feminist civil society to counter the backlash.
The letter was made public today, before the CSW opening ceremony (10am, EDT), but you can still join the mobilization and sign the letter via this form, so as to amplify our impact at CSW.
Lucie Daniel, Equipop’s Advocacy and Research Manager, and Clara Dereudre, Advocacy Officer, will be attending the CSW until March 19 to nurture partnerships with feminist activists and networks and build new alliances, strengthen feminist collective action and celebrate victories – in short: stay mobilized in the face of backlash.
CSW 68, a decisive moment: An open letter to the heads of State and UN member States diplomats
Dear Sir, Madam
From March 11th to 22nd, for the 68th session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), feminist activists from all over the world will be in New York to promote gender equality and the fundamental human rights of women.
However, as every year, the CSW will also be a space where anti-rights actors gather together and instrumentalize women’s rights to push their conservative agenda, and undermine the ambition of the agreed conclusions, as it has been the case many times in the past. They are also organizing their own “Conference on the State of Women and the Family” on the sidelines of the negotiations, and they will be present at various events taking place at the UN.
We know that sexual and reproductive health and rights will be one of the main targets of these attacks. Anti-rights actors seek to minimize the inclusion of language around abortion, sexuality education and the rights of LGBTQIA+ people.
We must not back down. It is paramount to create alliances between progressive states and with the feminist civil society in order to strategize, drive forward advances for women’s rights and block attacks targeting them – in short, to stand together in the face of the backlash.
We, the signatories of this open letter, are fighting every day to advance gender equality. We now turn to progressive states and those who wish to promote feminist foreign policies, and call on them to mobilize strongly in New York over the next two weeks. We must take a strong stance during the negotiations, and ensure that the agreed conclusions protect fundamental rights.
Many States are implementing at the national level policies that advance fundamental human rights while sometimes siding with the conservative bloc within the United Nations. We call on them to put an end to these contradictions.
As we write this open letter, France has just enshrined abortion as a guaranteed freedom in its Constitution. This is a shining example of what can be achieved through the mobilization of feminist movements, from street demonstrations to the completion of institutional processes.
In New York, it is now up to governments to work relentlessly to achieve significant advances for women’s rights and gender equality on the international stage.
Signatories:
Acción Ciudadana por la Democracia y el Desarrollo
Actions pour la conservation de la nature et le développement communautaire, ACNDC
ADELA Alianza por la Defensa del Estado Laico
Afrique Performance
AGES
Aidos – Italian Association for Women in Development
AMSOPT
APC
Asia Feminist LBQ Network
Asociación CCEFIRO
Association des Jeunes Filles pour la Santé de la Reproduction (AJFSR)
Association Elles Rayonnent Ensemble
Association pour la défense des droits des aides ménagères et domestiques ADDAD Burkina Faso
Association SIFOKA
Association songtaaba des femmes unies pour le développement ASFUD
Association Stop au Chat Noir
Association Transgenres et Droits
Atelier Flandrin
BATOBGA FOUNDATION
Católicas pelo Direito de Decidir
Católicas por el Derecho a Decidir
Centre de Recherche et de Documentation en Approches Genre SARL
Centro de Atención a la Mujer Trabajadora de Chihuahua A. C.
Centro de Investigación para la Acción Femenina (CIPAF)
CHEVS
CMP FLORA TRISTÁN
Complices por la Igualdad / MenEngage México
Convergence pour le Développement Durable
Council for Global Equality
CYAP SURINAME
Danish Family Planning Association
Delete Nothing
Empow’Her
End FGM European Network
Equality Rights Alliance
Fédération des associations féminines pour la paix et le developpement
FEMUM ALC /Smart&Sustainable Cities Chapter Peru
Fondation des Jeunes Amazones pour le Developpement
FORO DE MUJERES POR LA IGUALDAD DE OPORTUNIDADES. Asoc. Civil de Mujeres de Salta- Argentina.
Foundation for Innovative Social Development
Frente Feminista Nacional
Fundacion Estudio e investigacion de la Mujer
galck+
Gender and Economy Research Center NPGE
GIRLxGIRL
Gouttes Rouges
Groupe de Réflexion et d’Initiative pour l’Avancement de la Grand’Anse (GRIAG)
Guttmacher Institute
Humanity diaspo
IJBFE
Initiative pour la Santé de la reproduction
Initiatives des Jeunes pour le Bien-être de la Femme et de l’Enfant (IJBFE)
Institut du Genre en Géopolitique
International Planned Parenthood Federation – IPPF
Jeunes Filles Mères Engagées
Jeunes Pour la voix des Enfants et Femmes de Guinée
Koro
Koro femme debout
La convergence pour le développement durable
Lake Region Womxn’s Health and Equal Rights
Ligue Nigérienne des Droits des Femmes
Mediterranean Women’s Fund
MenEngage Uruguay
Moluccan Women Council/ Molukse Vrouwen Raad
Mouvement Citoyen FEMIN-IN
Movimiento de Mujeres Ciudadanas de Perú.
Namibia Diverse Women’s Association (NDWA)
National Rural Women’s Coalition
ONG Actuelles
ONG Filles en Actions
ONG LAFIA MATASSA
People’s Alliance for Reproductive Health Advocacy
Planning familial
PLAOS/ Burkina
Pour les droits des femmes et contre les revers!
Red Católicas por el Derecho a Decidir de América Latina y el Caribe
Réseau des Jeunes Féministes d’Afrique Centrale REJEFEMAC
Rutgers
Sensoa
STUNAM
SUKUAMIS
The Netherlands Association for Women’s Interests, Women’s Work and Equal Citizenship
Transmen Indonesia
TWIN
UNA-USA
UNA-USA
Universidad de Buenos Aires
Urgent Action Fund for Feminist Activism
Vrouwenbelangen
VWA FANM AYISYÈN (VFA)
WAF (WOMAN AFRICAN FREEDOM)
Western Kenya LBQ Organizations Collective
Western Kenya LBQT Feminist Forum
WO=MEN Dutch Gender Platform
WOMA Média
Women Deliver
Women Engage for a Common Future – WECF International
Women First International Fund
Women for Women’s Human Rights
Women in Nexus
Women4GlobalFund
Young Feminist Europe
Youth Advocacy Network Sri Lanka – YANSL
YWA Sénégal (Youth Women for Action)
* Image credit: Nebojša Cvetković x Fine Acts (modification des couleurs, du texte et de l’organisation du visuel)