Events to be listed on events calendar page(s)
The sixty-fifth session of the Commission on the Status of Women will take place from 15 to 26 March 2021. In light of the evolving COVID-19 situation, and taking into account the latest guidance from the United Nations Secretary-General and the World Health Organization (WHO), CSW65 will take place in a hybrid format with mostly virtual meetings.
A side event to examine the cultural rights approach to the universality of human rights, and the close relationship between universality and cultural diversity.
The universality of human rights is one of the most important principles codified in international
law. It is the central idea of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and a foundational
aspect of the entire human rights system. But as we mark the 70 th anniversary of the adoption of
the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) in 2018, universality is under sustained
attack, from both the political right and left, from State and non-State actors, including
extremists, fundamentalists and populists around the world, and even from some academics,
including those who misuse culture and cultural rights justifications.
Simultaneously, respect for cultural diversity is also threatened. For some, cultural diversity is
still wrongly understood as being in opposition to universality, who misuse it as an excuse for
violations of the very universal human rights within which its enjoyment is explicitly embedded.
It is also denied by those who seek to impose monolithic identities and ways of being, and who
advocate various forms of supremacy and discrimination.
The UN Special Rapporteur in the field of cultural rights, Karima Bennoune, will also discuss her current
report to the General Assembly (A/73/227) focusing on the current threats to universality, calling
for foundational renewal and vigorous defence of this principle, and recognition of its close
interrelationship with cultural diversity.
Moderator:
Naureen Shameen, Manger, Advancing Universal Rights and Justice Initiative, AWID
Panellists:
A side event organized with the UN Working Group on Discrimination against Women during the 38th Session of the Human Rights Council on 22nd June at 1pm.
In its pivotal report to the 38th session of the UN Human Rights Council, the UN Working Group on Discrimination against Women in law and practice (WGDAW) highlights, among other things, progress made thus far in achieving rights related to gender, reproduction and sexuality, and emphasizes the central need for all to better address the multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination that reinforce and sustain each other to marginalize different groups of women and girls.
At the same time, the WGDAW boldly draws our urgent attention to the remaining gaps and obstacles that remain to the achievement of gender justice. Progressive and feminist activists working at the national, regional and international levels today face an environment of deadlocks, retrogressions and backlashes that undermines rights related to gender, reproduction and sexuality; opposes the universality of human rights; and aims to fragment, weaken and co-opt the human rights system.
The anti-rights actors and movements today threatening rights and fostering systemic discrimination flow from interlocked phenonema and oppressions. Rising authoritarianism in political governance; increasing inequality and corporate capture of the state; xenophobia and militarism; and rising (mis)use of culture, religion, tradition and nationalism to gain and bolster power now pose considerable challenges to the promotion, protection and fulfillment of human rights across the world. And gender justice and bodily autonomy and integrity is a key preoccupation and target of such anti-rights movements.
As the Working Group flags, this atmosphere of retrogressions extends across contexts, and into the international human rights system itself. It its seminal report, it observes how concepts such as “complementarity”, ‘equity” and “protection of the family” have been used to undermine women’s rights by challenging universal human rights to equality and non-discrimination; and that the concept of gender itself has been challenged, misunderstood and misused to tear away at the edifice of rights protections for women and girls worldwide.
We commend the Working Group for its innovative, progressive and brave work over the past six years and join in their call to all actors to unite in an effort to protect, promote and fulfil women’s rights, sexual and reproductive rights, and gender justice, while fighting against retrogressions. In doing so, an intersectional approach and strong coalition and institutional work is essential.
WATCH the live stream via AWID’s Facebook page
FOLLOW the live tweets via AWID’s Twitter account
JOIN the conversation using the hashtags #RightsAtRisk and #HRC38
Come join the discussion to explore the next steps to address online, digital and ICT-facilitated VAWG,
the potential of a human rights framework to analyze States’ and digital intermediaries’ responses to
VAWG in digital contexts, and recommendations on what can be done to curb and ultimately eliminate
online, digital and ICT-facilitated VAWG.
Moderator:
Featured speakers:
• Dubravka Šimonović, UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and
consequences
• Zarizana Abdul Aziz, Due Diligence Project
• Jan Moolman, Association for Progressive Communications
• David Kaye, UN Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the freedom of
opinion and expression
9am – 12pm
The Independent Expert on SOGI present its new report to the HRC
Room XX, United Nations Office at Geneva, Palais des Nations.
12 – 3pm
The Special Rapporteur on Health presents its new Report to the HRC
Room XX, United Nations Office at Geneva, Palais des Nations.
3 – 4:30pm
Side event at HRC
Mainstreaming gender identity and expression in feminist and gender equality work
Room XXIV United Nations Office at Geneva, Palais des Nations.
10am – 1pm
Open Consultation on legal gender recognition and depathologization with the Independent Expert on SOGI.
Room XI, United Nations Office at Geneva, Palais des Nations.
1:30 – 3pm
UN Research Institute for Social Development panel
Where do we go from here: Safeguarding Trans People’s Rights
Room XXIII, United Nations Office in Geneva, Palais des Nations
6:30 – 8:30pm
Meet & Greet.
La Réplique (at Theatre Saint-Gervais), Rue du Temple 5, http://www.saintgervais.ch/pages/caferestau
RSVP: zhan@ilga.org
3 – 4:30pm
Side Event at HRC
“The Yogyakarta Principles +10 and the protection of the rights of transgender people”
Room XXIII, United Nations Office at Geneva, Palais des Nations
Rights Eroded: The Effect of Closing Civic Space on Women Human Rights Defenders Twenty Years after the adoption of the UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders
Speakers
A discussion of the report presented by the UN Special Rapporteur in the field of cultural rights
Speakers:
Karima Bennoune, Special Rapporteur in the field of cultural rights
Rafida Bonya Ahmed, author, human rights activists and moderator at Mukto-mona blog; visiting
research scholar at UT Austin; widow of Bangladeshi blogger Avijit Roy
Sheema Kermani, activist, theater practitioner and dancer; founder of Tehrik-E-Niswan in Karachi,
Pakistan
Wanda Nowicka, Chair of Equality and Modernity Association; Honorary President of Polish Federation
for Women and Family Planning
Cole Parke, LGBTQ and Gender Justice Researcher at Political Research Associates, USA
Wai Wai Nu, Director of Women Peace Network Arakan, Myanmar
Video message from Nayantara Sahgal, writer
Date: Thursday 26 October 2017
Time: 5-7pm
Venue: Conference Room 11, UN Headquarters, New York, NY
RSVP by 23 October 2017 to srculturalrights@ohchr.org with subject line “GA side event”
Time has come for the global movement for sexual and reproductive rights of all women to stand together and make one clear demand – access to affordable, safe and legal abortion now! #IresistWepersist
While the current geopolitical context is often discouraging, the landscape for ensuring SRHR, particularly access to abortion, has never been easy – there have always been challenges. And while there have always been threats to fully realizing SRHR, there have also been and continue to be amazing and powerful forms of collective resistance, fuelled by brave individuals and local organisations opposing injustices in a myriad of ways.
Our aim this year is to thus highlight, promote, and support the many different ways activists are currently individually and collectively challenging the status quo and resisting in diverse contexts, thereby inspiring activists, allies and collectives to continue their important abortion advocacy.As such, we are excited and hopeful that together–with your help–this year’s September 28 will be one of the strongest days of action yet!
If you’re interested in more details and want ideas to plan a local event for your organization/community please write to sept28global@wgnrr.org
To find out more about the September 28 Campaign:
Website: www.september28.org
Twitter: @WGNRR
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WGNRR
September 28 has been a regional campaign for decriminalization of abortion in Latin America and Caribbean for nearly twenty years before being taken on by SRHR activists all over the world as a Global Day of Action for Access to Safe and Legal Abortion in 2011. WGNRR undertakes September 28 annual campaigning activities in collaboration with its members, partners, and allies around the world, and as a member of the International Campaign for Women’s Right to Safe Abortion.
In support of the September 28 Global Day of Action for Access to Safe and Legal Abortion, the Sexual Rights Initiative is organising an event during the 36th regular session of the Human Rights Council.
The event will highlight the ways in which States, civil society, the UN system, and others can use human rights law and standards to advance the right to access safe and legal abortion. It is intended that this exchange of practices and experiences will inspire further action and collaboration among States, development partners, and civil society towards realising abortion related rights for all.
Moderator
Lucinda O’Hanlon, Adviser on Women’s Rights, Women’s Rights and Gender Section, OHCHR
Speakers
H.E. Martha Maurás Perez, Ambassador, Permanent Mission of Chile to the UN
Ronald Johnson, Scientist, Department of Reproductive Health and Research, WHO
Dr. Tlaleng Mofokeng, Vice Chairperson, Sexual and Reproductive Justice Coalition, South Africa
Julánia Armando Langa, Legal Advisor, Cabinet of the Minister of Health, Mozambique
*Simultaneous interpretation will be available in Spanish and Portuguese
Can’t make it? Follow the highlights on Twitter via @SexualRights and @AWID
The United Nations is committed to strengthening tolerance by fostering mutual understanding among cultures and peoples. This imperative lies at the core of the United Nations Charter, as well as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and is more important than ever in this era of rising and violent extremism and widening conflicts that are characterized by a fundamental disregard for human life.
In 1996, the UN General Assembly (by resolution 51/95) invited UN Member States to observe the International Day for Tolerance on 16 November. This action followed up on the United Nations Year for Tolerance, 1995, proclaimed by the UN General Assembly in 1993 at the initiative of UNESCO, as outlined in the Declaration of Principles on Tolerance and Follow-up Plan of Action for the Year.
The United Nations has launched a new campaign to promote tolerance, respect and dignity across the world. TOGETHER is a global campaign that aims to reduce negative perceptions and attitudes towards refugees and migrants, and to strengthen the social contract between host countries and communities, and refugees and migrants.
