Women’s Major Group Highlights from HLPF 2021
HLPF & HLS 2021 have been two amazing weeks with so many of our members from throughout the world. The challenges of virtual modalities, participation and process were still there, but we were very much ready for this 2nd fully virtual HLPF. The forum looked in depth at “Sustainable and resilient recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic that promotes the economic, social and environmental dimensions of sustainable development”, and WMG developed powerful recommendations for gender equality and sustainable development that centers the human rights of all people in their diversity.
We’ve been present in all spaces possible and we have created impact. We thank our members and allies deeply for the fierce feminist advocacy they’ve undertaken. There is still much work needed to ensure that we move towards a more accountable and effective Agenda 2030, an HLPF that can deliver for the ambition of Agenda 2030, and for a sustainable, just, and equitable future for all, including recovery from the crises exacerbated by COVID-19 pandemic to new and just systems based on human rights and care. It uplifts us, however, to know that we’ll work together with all of our members in the work for these new systems.
We want to give you some snapshots of WMG members’ contributions to the HLPF 2021 process.
HLPF Interventions & Statements by WMG members
WMG members took the floor to voice our fierce feminist demands for a structural analysis into the root causes of our struggles, and building towards better systems based on feminism, care and human rights.
The interventions and statements of our members can be accessed on our HLPF 2021 playlist at WMG’s Youtube channel.
WMG Side Events
The Women’s Major Group hosted an official side event on, “Why a holistic approach to SDGs?: From theory to reality!” emphasizing the vitality of a holistic approach to SDGs that is centered in human rights. We were joined by Ambassador Sandoval Mendiolea of Mexico and Ambassador Schlyter of Sweden, as well as WMG members Sai Jyothirmai Racherla and Eleanor Blomstrom.
WMG has also co-sponsored four side events, including the ICRW & WMG et al. North America side event “Gender and Sustainable Development in North America: Ensuring an Equitable Recovery from COVID-19,” the side event organized by OHCHR, DIHR, et al. “Ensuring a sustainable recovery that delivers on human rights and the 2030 Agenda,” Actionaid side event “Towards a Peoples’ Multilateralism,” and the ECE RCEM & WMG ECE Region et al. side event “Inclusive Engagement of Civil Society in the VNR and Follow-up Processes in the UNECE Region in the Decade of Action.”
WMG has also co-sponsored, along with our member FEMNET, and the World Benchmarking Alliance et al. a SDGs learning, training and practice session, “Fostering Evidence-Based Decision-making for Sustainable and Just COVID Recovery and Transformative SDG implementation.”
New Outreach Tools With Some Joy!
The Women’s Major Group believes that resistance can, at times, be joyful as well.
With this in mind, this HLPF, we started doing TikToks and Instagram Reels and experimenting with this new, trendy video medium for our feminist advocacy! We hope this new medium can continue to be part of our ongoing creative actions beyond HLPF.
We have three Reels so far posted on our Instagram account (@womensmajorgroup) with more coming soon!
WMG’s Color Campaign
Each year, WMG organizes a color campaign, highlighting our main messages for that year’s HLPF, and outlining our demands for systemic, structural change towards a more feminist, just and sustainable future for all!
As in previous years, it was heartwarming to see the level of solidarity, even virtually, for our color campaign, and to see everyone looking so amazing in that day’s color in our morning caucuses and the virtual meetings! It was also awesome to see allies wearing our colors & amplifying the color campaign online too!
You can find all our photos & graphics on our Facebook, Twitter & Instagram accounts!
SDGs & UN Human Rights Mechanisms from a Feminist Perspective Infographic Series
During our HLPF 2021 side event, we’ve also launched our “SDGs and UN Human Rights Mechanisms from a Feminist Perspective” infographic series
As the WMG, we created the series “SDGs & UN Human Rights mechanisms from a feminist perspective” to:
- highlight the interplay between Agenda 2030 and the human rights (HR) mechanisms of the United Nations, to support and enhance the implementation of the SDGs from a feminist and human rights-based perspective
- increase the knowledge and capacity of our members to interact with UN HR mechanisms, and utilize the SDGs in their advocacy with these mechanisms
- and introduce other rights-based organizations that are working on the intersection of gender equality and UN HR mechanisms to our members who may also want to work on the interconnections of SDGs & human rights.
WMG Contributions to MGoS Coordination Mechanism Advocacy
The Coordination Mechanism for the Major Groups and Other Stakeholders coordinates the joint advocacy work of these constituencies at the UN sustainable development processes.
The MGoS CM undertakes extensive advocacy work throughout the year. As a response to the developments on the HLPF 2021 Ministerial Declaration, MGoS CM prepared and disseminated widely two joint statements, one on the ongoing discussions on the Ministerial Declaration on July 9th, and one on the adopted Ministerial Declaration on July 15th, reflecting on the outcomes and the way forward. As WMG, we’ve supported and contributed to these statements during our HLPF 2021 advocacy.
“We are deeply saddened by the lack of ambition to respond to the crises that the world is currently facing. Reaffirming old commitments (which were patently insufficient before the pandemic) is not an adequate response to the pandemic. We are extremely concerned with the consistent refusal to address the root causes and systemic barriers to achieve a world where no one is left behind.”
WMG Letter Demanding the Removal of 75th President of ECOSOC
At the last day of the High Level Segment, with our members, we also wrote and disseminated an official letter requesting the removal of the 75th President of ECOSOC, Ambassador Munir Akram, from the presidency of ECOSOC and any role within the UN, and demanding his credentials as Permanent Representative of Pakistan to be permanently rejected and removed due to his acts of violence against a woman, and using his diplomatic immunity to escape prosecution and accountability. The letter has been sent to UN officials at the highest level, as well as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan.
Although the presidency of Ambassador Akram has ended after HLPF 2021, we’ll continue our advocacy on this matter including calling on the UN to strengthen its internal processes and protocol to ensure that those who have a history of violence or any other crime are screened out of further advancement or appointments and we’ll continue to stand in solidarity with Pakistani feminists and all survivors of gender based violence and violence against women.
