During the 59th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) in New York (March 9-20, 2015), the Post 2015 Women's Coalition launched its vision statement "Feminist Sustainable Development: A Transformative Alternative for Gender Equality, Development and Peace". As active member of the Post 2015 Women's Coalition, WPP participated actively in the development of this statement and supports its message. The launch of the vision statement was announced in a press release, which you can read below.
Besides the vision statement, the Post 2015 Women's Coalition gave an oral statement on the occasion of CSW59. This statement, calling for the realization of gender equality, women’s rights and women’s empowerment within and beyond the Post 2015 Development Agenda, can be read here.
More information about the Post 2015 Women's Coalition can be found on their website: www.post2015women.com
Press Release
March 12, 2015
At the 59th UN Commission on the Status of Women the Post 2015 Women’s Coalition Launches ‘Vision Statement’ for Feminist Alternative Approaches to Sustainable Development
Thursday March 12th the Post 2015 Women’s Coalition launched their Vision Statement for feminist alternative approaches to sustainable development. The Coalition made up of feminist, women's rights, women's development, grassroots, peace and social justice organizations from around the world have come to attend the 59th Annual Commission on the Status of Women to call in a collective voice for real progress in the lives of women.
The launch of the Vision Statement comes at a critical time in history, demanding a new development agenda that strengthens gender equality for all and is deeply concerned that 20 years after the Beijing Platform for Action, so many commitments on gender equality and women’s human rights are not fulfilled.
The Coalition also demands to see dramatic changes in the state of macroeconomic policies and calls for a new framework that prioritizes people over profit, actively combats feminized poverty, and redistributes unpaid care and non-care work borne disproportionately by women. “All women work. Recognize women as workers, producers and as individual right holders. Recognize, reduce and redistribute women’s unpaid work, including domestic work, direct care work, and subsistence forms of livelihoods,” said Priti Darooka the Executive Director of the Programme on Women’s Economic Social and Cultural Rights (PWESCR) from India.
“We must finance development with disarmament and invest in gender justice for sustainable peace,” said the Secretary General of Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF), Madeleine Rees. Coalition members highlight the need for greater and intentional support for gender budgeting and innovative financing including through reducing military expenditure and strengthening financing for gender equality and peace. Hibaaq Osman, Executive Director of Karama urged, “the need for greater international support for women’s inclusion, participation, and protection in post-conflict and transition situations and processes.”
The coalition is deeply disturbed that as discussions at the UN on the Post-2015 Development Agenda and the CSW unfold, sexual and reproductive health and rights are being erased and have been excluded from the conference’s Political Declaration. The Executive Director of ARROW (the Asian-Pacific Recourse and Research Centre for Women), Sivananthi Thanenthiran said, "Some special interest groups can enjoy the luxury of dismissing the complex realities of women's lives by making it increasingly difficult for member states to discuss and agree on human rights issues, especially sexual and reproductive health and rights. But we do not have this luxury; without autonomy over bodies, we cannot achieve autonomy over our lives.”
Sharon Bhagwan Rolls from the non-governmental organization FemLINKPacific explained that if the new sustainable development goals are to truly transform the lives of women and their families, if there is to be development that prevents conflicts, “we need to ensure women and communities are connected to information and communications systems and decision making processes which are accountable, participatory and transformative.” She added, “Our community radio network in Fiji shows how this can be done right."
Read the vision statement "Feminist Sustainable Development: A Transformative Alternative for Gender Equality, Development and Peace"
12 Dec '17 Today, we are pleased to share with you the Conference Report “Financial Inclusion for Freedom and Security” by the Women Peacemakers Program, Duke Law International Human Rights Clinic, Human Security Collective, Transnational Institute, the Charity & Security Network, in cooperation with the Knowledge Platform Security and Rule of Law.
7 Dec '17 Today, on the 13th day of the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence Campaign, we bring you the sad news that from 15 December onwards, the Women Peacemakers Program (WPP) will have to close its doors. We would like to ask for your time to read what has driven us to make this decision.
7 Nov '17 On Thursday, 26 October 2017, a side event entitled, “Pulling the Rug from Under Our Feet: What is the UNSCR 1325 Without Civil Society Freedoms?” was hosted on the margins of the 17th anniversary of United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1325. The event was hosted by the Women Peacemakers Program (WPP) and the Dutch Mission, in collaboration with Duke Law’s International Human Rights Clinic, Al-Hayat Center for Civil Society Development, Arab Women Organisation of Jordan, NOVACT, Free Sight Association, Iraqi Al-Amal Association, Women Empowerment Organisation, NGO Working Group on Women, Peace and Security and Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom. This article briefly looks at the main issues discussed during the event.
