Women are the drivers of change around the world, yet in many cases women have experienced an increase in severe violations of their fundamental rights.
Special Rapporteur Clément Voule concluded in his 2020 report to the United Nations General Assembly. The report explores the myriad ways in which women’s organizations and movements have contributed to the advancement of human rights, peace and sustainable development.
The report was launched in an online side event to the UN General Assembly organized by UNSR Voule and ICNL, Solidarity Center, Women’s Major Group, CIVICUS, Women’s March Global, the Mesoamerican Initiative of Women Human Rights Defenders, AccessNow, the Geneva Academy, Freedom House and the World Movement for Democracy.
The side event took place on 20 October 2020 and included the participation of Dutch Ambassador of Human Rights Bahia Tahzib-Lie whose opening speech covered the importance and need of women’s organizations and movements for the advancement of human rights. Her speech was followed by a panel discussion with UNSR Voule and women leaders in civil society, such as Shawna Bader-Blau, Executive Director of Solidarity Center, Marusia Lopez from the Mesoamerican Initiative of WHRDs, and Mireille Tushiminina from the Cameroon Women’s Peace Movement.
All speakers agreed that women are at the forefront of today’s most pressing global struggles, including responding to the Covid-19 pandemic. For their movements and initiatives to continue to be successful, the exercise of the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and association is – according to the speakers’ testimonies – essential.
Yet, UNSR Voule’s report on women in activism and civil society revealed that women’s unwavering contributions to promote human rights and development encounter ever increasing resistance, a tendency that is only exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic.
The voices of women and their contributions to activism and civil society continue to be under-valued, under-resourced and undermined, UNSR Voule remarked.
By means of this online side event and through his report, UNSR Voule aimed to further open the discussion on this very pressing issue, arguing that a concerted effort is needed to raise awareness of the problem but mostly to enable the right climate for women to continue their work as powerful drivers for change and development.
Check out the Agenda of the event here
Watch the webinar for the launch of the report here
Learn more about the report here. The report, which was submitted to the General Assembly of the United Nations in October 2020 during its 75th session, recognizes and elevates the enormous contribution to human rights, peace and sustainable development by women exercising their rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and association and discloses recommendations for the creation of a more enabling environment for the protection of these rights for women and girls.
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