Calling for recognition of women and girls’ full dignity, equality and humanity

Today we will hear many well-intentioned statements about the importance of women’s rights. But such statements are empty without actions taken to stem rising authoritarianism, where governments around the world are ignoring, enabling or perpetrating a concerted and deliberate backlash against women’s rights, those who defend them, and civil society space. These governments redirect legitimate anger about inequalities onto scapegoated marginalised women, migrants, and LGBTI+ people, instead of towards accountability for those in power.

Simultaneously, we have seen a massive withdrawal of funding from human rights organisations in favour of increased militarisation; the impact of multiple situations of conflict, including genocides and situations at risk of genocide; and the rise in climate-related emergencies. These severely harm women and girls and impact their human rights, including their sexual and reproductive health and rights. For a peaceful and more just world, we need increased and sustainable investment in public services, feminist movements, human rights and multilateralism, not less. We urge governments to look beyond the next election cycle, to address economic inequalities, and to make long-term investments supporting communities and the most marginalised to build peaceful, sustainable societies based on mutual respect for the diversity of humanity.

What we need now are not empty words, but real change to the unequal and hypocritical global systems which reflect the legacies of colonialism. Every human rights gain won has been due to the efforts of grassroots movements. To keep these gains, movements must be supported. We need a UN that prioritises meaningful and safe engagement with women, girls, especially those living with intersecting forms of discrimination, and marginalised communities, that is driven by impact; and reform processes which are transparent, equitable, sustainable and inclusive, and center a human-rights approach, and which reflects the priorities of the global majority. It is a grave mistake to imagine peace, security or development efforts can successfully improve lives without the full realisation of all human rights in all efforts. Reform must strengthen the UN human rights pillar, ensuring accountability, universality, the interdependence of rights, and the independence of its mechanisms.

We deplore the global retrogression on women’s and girls’ rights and increasing normalisation of violence, dehumanisation, authoritarianism and misogyny that is killing women and girls.

We call for recognition of women and girls’ full dignity, equality and humanity, not just in words but in policies, in budgets, and implementation: their leadership in political, social, economic and peace-building spheres; their full bodily autonomy; the value of their unpaid care; and the recognition of full diversity of their intersectional experiences.

Signed by:

1.  ACT Alliance
2. Action Canada for Sexual Health and Rights
3. AKAHATA- Equipo de Trabajo en Sexualidades y Géneros A.C.
4. Amnesty International
5. Anti Sexual Violence Lead Support Initiative
6. Asia Pacific Transgender Network
7. Association for Women’s Rights in Development (AWID)
8. Blue Diamond Society
9. Center for Reproductive Rights
10. Danish Family Planning Association
11. EMMA Association
12. FEDERA – Foundation for Women and Family Planning
13. Feminist Diplomacy Lab
14. FORUM-ASIA
15. Fos Feminista
16. Fundación para Estudio e Investigación de la Mujer (FEIM)
17. GALE, the Global Alliance for LGBTIQ+ Education
18. Global Action for Trans Equality (GATE)
19. Global Alliance against Traffic in Women (GAATW)
20. Global Health Justice Partnership of the Yale Law and Public Health Schools, Yale University
21. Háttér Society
22. ILGA World
23. Instituto Peruano de Paternidad Responsable – INPPARES Perú
24. International Campaign for Women’s Right to Safe Abortion
25. International Federation for Human Rights
26. International Planned Parenthood Foundation
27. International Service for Human Rights (ISHR)
28. InterPride
29. Ipas
30. JOICFP- Japanese Organization for International Cooperation in Family Planning
31. Just Futures Collaborative
32. Kinaura Partners (Formerly Global Health Visions)
33. MADRE
34. Médecins du monde
35. MSI Reproductive Choices
36. Plan International inc.
37. Profamilia
38. PROMSEX – Centro de Promoción y Defensa de los Derechos Sexuales y Reproductivos
39. Red de Salud de las Mujeres Latinoamericanas y del Caribe (RSMLAC)
40. RFSU
41. Sexual Rights Initiative
42. Women Deliver