THE SURGE OF JOY AND HOPE: REFLECTING ON CMI!’S AWID EXPERIENCE
AWID, one of CMI!’s members, organised AWID Forum – the biggest gathering of feminist activists, funders and organisations. For the Count Me In! consortium and all its other members and strategic partners, this was an exciting space to experience, meet activists worldwide, showcase our work and learn from others. The AWID Forum occurred in Bangkok, […]
HOW SEX WORKERS SPOKE UP AT HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL 56
Monday morning of the 24th of June. In one of the largest conference rooms at the UN in Geneva, one of the civil society delegates started her statement – “I am a sex worker and a mother. I offer my sexual services on the street. I am very proud and grateful for my work. The […]
INVEST IN MOVEMENTS AND START WITH TRUST
Feminist movements advance gender equality and human rights by influencing policies, strengthening institutions, and changing social norms. They operate under precarious conditions in the face of rising authoritarianism, anti-gender movements* and polycrises**. And yet, donors collectively under-resource feminist movements. The Alliance for Feminist Movements, Count Me In!, and Leading from the South organised a CSW68 […]
CMI! AT CSW68: EXPLORING FEMINIST ECONOMIC REALITIES, THEIR CHALLENGES AND POSSIBILITIES
Feminist economic realities can take many forms because they evolve around the context and needs of the people in a particular place and time. These realities also prioritise equality and justice for all. Count Me In!’s event at CSW attracted long-due attention to these feminist economic realities, prompting funders and INGOs to rethink the concepts […]
Feminist Economic Realities: economies of support, well-being and care
Feminist economic realities (FERs) are models, approaches, imaginings, and actions that critique and directly challenge unjust economic orthodoxies, most notably global neo-liberal capitalism, and provide solutions to dismantle the unequal power relations that are rooted in systems of economic oppression. They are an attempt at showing a better way of living, working with nature and […]
Unfolding the Essentials of Feminist Funding: Join CMI! at CSW68
More and more funders are aligning with feminist movements, recognising the critical need to bolster them with financial resources and political backing. But what’s the best way to do this? How can they ensure maximum support and minimal harm? How can funding reach movements in the best possible way to effect enduring change? To delve […]
Guidance on preparing a submission to the UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls
The Sex Worker Inclusive Feminist Alliance (SWIFA) has prepared guidelines to support sex workers’ rights-based submissions to the UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls (SRVAW) for her upcoming report on “prostitution and violence”. Please see the call for submission at https://www.ohchr.org/en/calls-for-input/2024/call-input-report-special-rapporteur-violence-against-women-and-girls-human. These guidelines provide suggestions and background information about the kind of information, […]
REFLECTIONS ON SHAPING FEMINIST FOREIGN POLICY CONFERENCE 2023
A solid and honest Feminist Foreign Policy (FFP), presents an opportunity for a meaningful shift in how a government handles foreign affairs, including international development. There is an ever-increasing demand from civil society for an acknowledgement that a true FFP must focus on equality, justice and human rights and be unapologetically gender-transformative, intersectional and anti-racist. […]
SOLUTIONS ARE IN COLLABORATION: COUNTERING ANTI-RIGHTS MOVEMENTS AT UNGA 78
Today, 75% of the world’s population lives in anti-democratic, anti-rights political environments. Anti-gender and anti-rights movements worldwide have more and more resources and influence. And they come in packs: together with anti-democracy, anti-climate and anti-human rights forces. There is no time to lose. Funders, governments, UN bodies and movements must join with feminist movements to […]
Funders need to understand the challenges trans activists face
Joya Sikdar is a leading trans activist in Bangladesh for 25 years and the founder and president of the organisation Somporker Noya Setu (SNS).* On the International Trans Day of Visibility 2022, we talked to her about her activism and challenges. She also highlighted how funders like the Dutch government could help advance trans activism. […]
