A WMG member organization and previous OP, WECF, Women Engaged for a Common Future, has launched a global advocacy toolkit for the Beijing +25 process and beyond. The resource is entitled “Young Feminists Want System Change,” building on WMG’s campaign #FeministsWantSystemChange. You can download the toolkit and find more information here.

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Advocacy spaces such as international processes and negotiations can be quite complex from the outset and difficult to access for youth. This manual aims to motivate and support young feminists to participate in international policy-making and push for system change throughout the Generation Equality Forum (Beijing+25) process and other policy spaces related to women’s rights and gender equality. These include the Commission on the Status of Women and its review of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for action, Agenda 2030 with its High Level Political Forum, and the United Nations General Assembly.

In the toolkit you’ll find:

  • From cause to advocacy
  • Know your rights – herstory of policies, rights and world conferences
  • How do I engage? Finding your way through the wiggly maze of global advocacy (UN)
  • From words to action – practical tools for effective advocacy

Advocacy during a pandemic

It’s worth mentioning that this toolkit was written before we had entered into this new pandemic reality. As some governments are using this time to infringe on human rights, multilateralism becomes more important than ever. And by multilateralism, we mean the global processes where governments are holding each other accountable. As we see new global feminist networks being formed and UN processes either being postponed or turned virtual, this manual becomes more relevant than ever. 2020 was meant to be the year we celebrated the 25th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action at the Generation Equality Forums. This will still happen, but it’s been postponed to 2021 with virtual consultations scheduled during the time leading up to the celebration. Meaning, the Beijing+25 roadmap in the toolkit has changed slightly. You can find an updated roadmap here.