{"id":1792,"date":"2017-03-20T13:44:42","date_gmt":"2017-03-20T13:44:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.csbronline.org\/?p=1792"},"modified":"2017-11-11T12:56:38","modified_gmt":"2017-11-11T12:56:38","slug":"no-borders-on-gender-justice","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/csbronline.org\/?p=1792","title":{"rendered":"No Borders on Gender Justice"},"content":{"rendered":"

Letter to the Members of the UN Commission on the Status of Women<\/strong><\/p>\n

United Nations Economic and Social Council
\nThe Commission on the Status of Women<\/p>\n

6 March 2017<\/strong><\/p>\n

Dear Members of the UN Commission on the Status of Women,<\/p>\n

We the undersigned organizations write to express our deep concerns about the latest restrictions on civil society participation at the 2017 UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) meetings. This year’s CSW is taking place under the shadow of the United States\u2019 escalated anti-immigrant, anti-refugee, and anti-Muslim policies, which are preventing some women from exercising their right to political participation at UN Headquarters in New York. The policies represent the latest in a long history of restrictive migration, refugee and asylum measures that subject women and their families to hate crimes, detention, deportation and family separation, while undermining core universal human rights regarding migrant and refugee rights, and worker protections. These circumstances emphasize the urgent need for women facing multiple discriminations to be at the center of conversations on human rights at CSW.<\/p>\n

These restrictions on civil society participation are part of a much broader threat, not only to CSW, but also to the very foundations of multi-lateral cooperation, the rule of law and human rights. Governments across all continents have adopted laws and policies curtailing civil society participation in democratic spaces, making international space an even more critical site for civil society to confront and hold governments accountable. Civil society access to these spaces is necessary for the advancement of all human rights, including rights that ensure women\u2019s economic empowerment in the changing world of work. It is also necessary for the work of the UN. The new UN Secretary General, Ant\u00f3nio Guterres, has affirmed that \u201ccivil society is a key instrument for the success of today\u2019s UN,\u201d and that \u201cdialogue and cooperation with civil society will\u2026be a central aspect of the activities of the UN in the next few years.\u201d For that to happen, civil society needs access to the UN, without discrimination on the basis of nationality, religion, income, migration status, or any other factor.<\/p>\n

The latest obstacles to civil society participation at New York\u2019s UN Headquarters will likely extend beyond this year\u2019s CSW. Access to future CSW sessions, and to all UN decision-making spaces, including the Security Council and General Assembly, is also threatened. Year round, women and other gender justice advocates participate in critical convenings at UN Headquarters, including during the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues in May, the Open Debate on Women, Peace and Security in October, negotiations for a new Global Compact on Refugees and a Global Compact on migration, International Day of Persons with Disabilities, and LGBTIQ advocacy week in December. It is in New York that civil society advocates from across the globe engage with the world\u2019s governments in order to shape national and international priorities.<\/p>\n

Maintaining access for civil society, particularly women\u2019s human rights defenders, to UN decision-making spaces is essential to the empowerment of women as envisioned in the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action and the gender-responsive realization of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. To this end, we respectfully request the Commission add the following paragraph to the draft Agreed Conclusions for CSW\u2019s 61st session, calling on governments to remove all barriers that directly and indirectly inhibit women\u2019s full, equal, and effective participation in decision-making at all levels:<\/p>\n

The Commission calls upon Governments to support civil society access to the CSW and all UN decision-making spaces, recognizing that meaningful civil society participation is critical for increasing protections and advancements for women\u2019s economic empowerment in the changing world of work.<\/p>\n

We urge the Commission to call on governments to reverse the shrinking of civil society space at the United Nations during the CSW Ministerial segment and General discussion, so that we may fully contribute to the work of the Commission towards women\u2019s human rights and gender equality, including the gender-responsive implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.<\/p>\n

Sincerely,<\/p>\n

MADRE<\/p>\n

Just Associates (JASS)<\/p>\n

Center for Women\u2019s Global Leadership<\/p>\n

Association for Women’s Rights in Development (AWID)<\/p>\n

Urgent Action Fund<\/p>\n

Women in Migration Network (WIMN)<\/p>\n

Outright Action International<\/p>\n

Global Justice Center<\/p>\n

Amnesty International<\/p>\n

Refugees International<\/p>\n

Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF)<\/p>\n

NGO Working Group on Women, Peace and Security<\/p>\n

Organization of Women’s Freedom in Iraq (OWFI)<\/p>\n

International Civil Society Action Network (ICAN)<\/p>\n

Women’s Environment and Development Organization (WEDO)<\/p>\n

Women’s Intercultural Network (WIN)<\/p>\n

Gender at Work<\/p>\n

Alianza por la Solidaridad<\/p>\n

Women Thrive Alliance<\/p>\n

World Federalist Movement-Insititute for Global Policy<\/p>\n

Men Engage Alliance<\/p>\n

Widows for Peace through Democracy (WPD)<\/p>\n

SecurityWomen<\/p>\n

Womankind Worldwide<\/p>\n

Gender & Development Network<\/p>\n

Women Peacemakers Program (WPP)<\/p>\n

Women Engage for a Common Future (WECF), International<\/p>\n

FEMUM-ALC latinamerican network of Women&Municipalities<\/p>\n

Feminist Task Force<\/p>\n

Center for Health and Gender Equity (CHANGE)<\/p>\n

The Judith Trust<\/p>\n

Uganda Youth Alliance For Family Planning And Adolescents Health \u2013UYAFPAH<\/p>\n

LatinoJustice PRLDEF<\/p>\n

The Women\u2019s Studies Center (CEM)<\/p>\n

Free Women Writers<\/p>\n

Iranian Circle of Women’s Intercultural Network (ICWIN)<\/p>\n

Grupo Para o desenvolvimento da Mulher e Rapariga- (GDMR)<\/p>\n

Muslims for Progressive Values Nederland<\/p>\n

Sudanese Women Human Rights Defenders Project<\/p>\n

FEMNET<\/p>\n

Asia Safe Abortion Partnership<\/p>\n

International Womens’ Rights Action Watch Asia Pacific<\/p>\n

International Planned Parenthood Federation – Western Hemisphere Region<\/p>\n

FOKUS \u2013 Forum for Women and Development<\/p>\n

MYSU Mujer y Salud En Uruguay<\/p>\n

International Federation of Medical Students’ Associations<\/p>\n

Regions Refocus<\/p>\n

RFSL – Swedish Federation for LGBTQ Rights<\/p>\n

Akina Mama Wa Afrika<\/p>\n

COC Nederland<\/p>\n

Worker’s Information Center<\/p>\n

Human Rights & Gender Justice Clinic, City University of New York Law School<\/p>\n

Republika Libre<\/p>\n

Foro Internacional de Mujeres Indigenas – FIMI \/ International Indigenous Women Forum<\/p>\n

Enlace Continental de Mujeres Ind\u00edgenas de las Am\u00e9ricas \u2013 ECMIA<\/p>\n

The Gulf Centre for Human Rights (GCHR)<\/p>\n

Tunisian Association of Democratic Women (ATFD)<\/p>\n

Khadija Arfaoui, TUNISIA<\/p>\n

Tharwa n’fadhma n’soumer<\/p>\n

Coalition for Sexual and Bodily Rights in Muslim Societies (CSBR)<\/p>\n

GAYa Nusantara<\/p>\n

PILIPINA Legal Resources Center<\/p>\n

Southeast Indigenous Peoples’ Center<\/p>\n

PEN International<\/p>\n

Women’s Global Network for Reproductive Rights (WGNRR)<\/p>\n

*****<\/p>\n

To add your organization’s name to this letter, email csw61advocacy@madre.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Letter to the Members of the UN Commission on the Status of Women United Nations Economic and Social Council The Commission on the Status of Women 6 March 2017 Dear Members of the UN Commission on the Status of Women, We the undersigned organizations write to express our deep concerns about the latest restrictions on … Continue reading No Borders on Gender Justice<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[11,10,8,12],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1792","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-activities","category-members","category-news","category-statements","no-featured-image"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/csbronline.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1792","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/csbronline.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/csbronline.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/csbronline.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/csbronline.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1792"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/csbronline.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1792\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1793,"href":"https:\/\/csbronline.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1792\/revisions\/1793"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/csbronline.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1792"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/csbronline.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1792"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/csbronline.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1792"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}