زن، زندگی، آزادی: بیانیه شبکه بینا فرهنگی زنان , در همبستگی با زنان در ایران

The Women’s Intercultural Network stands in solidarity with the brave women and girls of Iran who are weaving a feminist future in Iran and the entire region

The demonstrations ignited by the police killing of Jian ( Mahsa ) have entered their fourth week in Iran and the Diaspora. On September 16th, the police arrested and beat to death the 22-year-old Kurdish woman, Jian (Mahsa) Amini, on the street in Tehran for her “improper hijab”. The anti-government protests and civil unrest started hours after Jian’s death at the hospital, intensified, spread to all 31 provinces, and within days reached at least 83 cities. Although more than 150 people have been killed, and thousands have been arrested, the protest among the young and old continues. 

Iran has seen multiple eruptions of protests over the past years, many of them fueled by desperation over economic difficulties. However, the new wave of protests led by women and girls is against something at the heart of the identity of  Islamic Republic of Iran: the compulsory veil.  The compulsory veil is emblematic of the control, censorship, and oppression of the Iranian people.

At its core this is not about any individual person’s faith; this is about the human rights of the Iranian people, with women and girls leading at the forefront.  

Women and girls burned their scarves and cut their hair in powerful displays of defiance.  Political bodies of the generations born and raised in the last 43 years are now revolting against the laws depriving them of their choice, security, and fundamental economic, social, and political rights.

In response to these protests, on September 19th, the Iranian government blocked internet access followed by nationwide restrictions on social media. These actions were intended to curtail freedom of expression, isolate the resistance from the rest of the world, and cover up the abuses of the government.    

The slogan “Jin Jîyan Azadî,” or “Women, Life, Freedom,” is a famous Kurdish women’s movement slogan. This was chanted at Amini’s funeral in Saqqez, where she was born. The slogan recognizes respecting a woman’s autonomy and the right to choose what to do with one’s body, whether it is to cover it with hijab or not, and challenging authoritarian regimes and patriarchal power structures.  As many other creative slogans were chanted in the protests, it shows that the uprising is against authoritarian

As the organization that embarked on the Cities for CEDAW campaign in the United States, the only western country that has not ratified CEDAW, we also support the continuous struggle of Iranian women to eliminate all forms of discrimination against women as Iran also has not ratified CEDAW. Please join us in supporting the voices of women and girls in Iran.

Elahe Amani

Chair, Women’s Intercultural network

A note by Elahe Amani, Chair of Women’s Intercultural Network
The 66th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW66) the second largest UN intergovernmental meeting in New York closed its two-week-long session on March 25th. The priority theme was achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls in the context of climate change, environmental and disaster risk reduction policies and programs, and the review theme was women’s economic empowerment in the changing world of work 

(agreed conclusions of the sixty-first session).

CSW66 Agreed Conclusions

 were groundbreaking and therefore ‘historic’ for the UN as it is the first time CSW has recognized the connections between climate change and gender equality and confirmed that all women and girls are disproportionately affected by the impact of climate change such as droughts and floods and other environmental crises, and offer specific actions which the Member States, UN agencies and Civil Society/NGOs can take to ensure resilience, mitigation, and sustainable recovery, especially for all women and girls.

This historic session acknowledged and reaffirmed women’s and girls’ leadership as a key to addressing climate change, environmental, and disaster risk reduction for all. 
The agreed conclusions adopted by the Member States are a blueprint for world leaders to promote women’s and girls’ full and equal participation and leadership in the designing and implementation of climate change, environmental and disaster risk reduction (DRR) policies and programs moving forward. 
What the 

Statement of the CEDAW Committee expressed at the 44th session on August 7, 2009

, on Gender and Climate Change envisioned that “women are not just helpless victims of climate change – they are powerful agents of change and their leadership is critical. “ became a reality by the CSW66 historical Agreed Conclusion.

Here are the sessions organized by WIN and those we are thankful we had the opportunity to contribute and present. 
“The impact of a changing climate on Native American people introduces special concerns that are often not discussed or considered on the broad scale when policymakers and the scientific community are thinking about climate change adaptation planning. Tribal communities still have a much closer and more intimate relationship to the cycles of nature, having studied and adapted over millennia to the specific areas the tribes call home. Concerns about fluctuations in rainfall quantity and regime are of great concern to all tribal people, especially those living in the desert Southwest and other desert regions with already depleted water sources due to ongoing severe drought conditions. Changing ecosystems due to temperature changes are already impacting tribal people who still rely on food that is hunted or foraged as a primary means of subsistence. Many tribal people rely on foods that are foraged, such as pine nuts, which are already seeing a decline due to the impact of climate change. It’s critical for the voice of Native American people to be heard and considered when policy, planning, and adaptation efforts are being implemented to ensure that the human rights of all people are protected.”
Since 2014, the Cities for CEDAW Campaign has been a highlight of WIN’s presentations for the UN NGO Commission on the Status of Women Forum. This year at CSW66, WIN offered an outstanding panel and an important discussion of women’s rights in our grassroots communities. We heard from a diversity of cities, East-West, urban-rural, Bozeman, MT, San Diego, CA, and Toledo OH, with a progress report on their efforts to partner human rights with public policy, seeking CEDAW Resolutions or Ordinances. Two mayors, from Irvine, CA, and Toledo, OH, sent videos, showcasing their efforts and support on behalf of women and girls in their communities. 

The

Iranian Circle of Women’s Intercultural Network/ ICWIN

presented this panel -the only session on Gender and environment in Iran presented by an NGO. Speakers of the panel :

Elham Homminfar, WIN Board member,
Asam Bahrami, a well-published activist on gender and environment from Italy, and Elahe Amani, WIN Chair each shared their perspective on Gender and Environment in Iran. The panel was moderated by Ruja Moshtaghi, a board member of ICWIN.

24 March 2022 | 12:30pm-2:00pm EST Women’s Intercultural Network joined with  Global Partnership for the Prevention of Armed Conflict (GPPAC), UN Women, Shifting the Power Coalition, and the Australian Mission to co-sponsor A virtual informal discussion on how some of the key recommendations of CSW 66 can be operationalized in practice through existing platforms (i.e., the UNSC and UN Climate and Security Mechanism, the Women, Peace and Security and Humanitarian Action Compact (WPS-HA Compact, etc.) 

The conversation was Moderated by Sharon Bhagwan Rolls, GPPAC Pacific Regional Representative & Regional Director – Shifting the Power Coalition and began with Marina Kumskova, GPPAC Senior UN Policy and Advocacy Advisor sharing an overview and key takeaways from the CSW66 Agreed Conclusions.

Given the backdrop of UN Security Council Resolution 2242 (S/RES/2242) recognizing the impacts of climate change and the global nature of health pandemics on the trajectory of conflict, and given the inaugural meeting of the Informal Expert Group on Climate and Security in November 2020, which was followed in February 2021, by the UNSC convening for a high-level open debate on climate and security,  governments and civil society recognize the linkage between climate vulnerability and conflict fragility. 

In this discussion, global peacebuilding and development experts shared the key takeaways from the CSW discussions and the ways the key commitments can inform peacebuilding and development action. This discussion continued building on the ongoing progress in the development of global policy and finance supporting climate security action, including from an intersectional feminist perspective. References were made to important lessons learned from local peacebuilding networks – through their various entry points – who have been able to consolidate knowledge and expertise on climate and security and systematize information exchange through institutionalized channels of multi-stakeholder action. Noted was UNDP report “What Infrastructures for Peace support Peacebuilding in the context of Fragility and Crisis”.

Speakers included:

Christine Clarke, Ambassador for Women and Girls, the representative of Australia 

Kyra Luchtenberg, Peace and Security Analyst, Peace, Security and Humanitarian Section at UN Women

Carolyn Kitione, Shifting the Power Coalition Learning Coordinator 

Olha Zaiarna, GPPAC Regional Representative for Eastern Europe, Ukraine 

Marion Akiteng, Gender Focal Person at Centre For Conflict Resolution (CECORE), Uganda

Catherine Wong, Policy Specialist – Climate and Security Risk, Crisis Bureau UNDP  

Ms. Hayley Keen, Australia’s Mission to the United Nations

 

E/CN.6/2022/NGO/144
Agenda 2030 puts gender equality at the core of sustainable and inclusive
development. Realizing gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls
will make a crucial contribution to progress across all the Goals and targets. The
achievement of full human potential and of sustainable development is not possible
if one half of humanity continues to be denied its full human rights and opportunities.
(UNFPA) Gender must be mainstreamed. Sustainable Development Goal 5
recognized gender equality as a fundamental right in itself, and instrumentally
valuable as a necessary foundation for a peaceful, prosperous and sustainable world.
Despite this recognition, equality remains elusive.
The brunt of the dual crises of the COVID-19 global pandemic and the economic
“she-cession” has been shouldered by women, with effects exacerbated along existing
racial, social, and economic lines. These crises intersect with the climate crises to
create a trifecta of vulnerability for the most marginalized. It’s the world’s poorest
and those in vulnerable situations, especially women and girls, who bear the brunt of
environmental, economic, and social impacts. Women and girls face greater health and
safety risks, as water and sanitation systems become compromised and in situations
of scarcity, they take on increased domestic and care work.
Through their experiences as early adopters of holistic and regenerative
agricultural techniques, first responders in crises, entrepreneurs of green energy, and
decision-makers at home, women offer valuable insights and solutions into better
managing the climate’s changes and its risks. Despite this, their collective and
individual lived experience and leadership are often overlooked and undervalued.
Building a sustainable future entails harnessing the knowledge, skills, and leadership
of women in climate action. Because women sit precariously at the intersection of
many daunting social problems including poverty, climate change, and violence, it is
critical that they be safe and empowered to reach their full potential. Gender mainstreaming will accelerate progress across all SDG’s. It’s no wonder then that
women’s leadership is explicitly called for in the preamble to the Paris Accord.
Achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls in the
context of climate change, environmental and disaster risk reduction policies and
programs is an urgent multilateral and multi-stakeholder endeavor.
UN Women has identified important priorities:

  1. Enhancing understanding and expertise by all stakeholders on gender
    mainstreaming and the integration of a gender perspective in the thematic areas under
    the Convention, Kyoto Protocol, and the Paris Accord.
  2. Enhancing disaggregate data collection and knowledge of the application
    of gender-responsive tools and methodologies to realize gender-responsive
    implementation of decisions.
    Women’s Intercultural Network proposes the following recommendations:
  3. Member states must honor existing climate commitments and implement
    new strategies and policies to enhance results, including stronger engagement with
    the private sector, indigenous peoples, and civil society, with an increased focus on
    gender equality.
  4. Mitigation and adaptation strategies must center a Climate Justice Human
    Rights framework to ensure policies, programs, and initiatives are equitable for
    women and girls, and all marginalized groups. The climate crisis is a transformational
    moment in history that holds the opportunity to transform not only the energy sector,
    but discriminatory structures of governance, and unsustainable economic models.
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    Integrated sustainable projects and programs that advance social, economic and
    environmental solutions must be prioritized.
  5. The creation of a UN Special Rapporteur on human rights and climate
    change is needed to increase accountability for women’s and human rights abuses
    linked to climate change and to guide governments on addressing climate change from
    a human rights perspective.
  6. Climate Change Education must become a mandatory curriculum at all
    levels, including the development and implementation of educational and public
    awareness programs on climate change and its gendered effects. Curricular guidelines
    provide a solid framework for facilitating and financing the development,
    implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of gender-inclusive Climate Change
    Education. (S. Aibe, K. Gross 2021)
  7. Girls’ participation in local, national, and international climate fora by
    creating guidelines for youth engagement in climate decision-making processes.
    Publicize the critical and intersectional roles that women and girls play in accelerating
    climate adaptation and resilience activities in families and communities, and the
    expertise they bring from their daily lives. (S. Aibe, K. Gross 2021)
  8. Climate solutions must center on both indigenous and women’s leadership.
    Their role in decision-making, protection, and management of resources is crucial.
    Women and girls face a disproportionate risk of food scarcity, water availability,
    violence and climate, and conflict-induced migration. Policies must be informed by,
    and responsive to, their needs. Indigenous communities steward 80 percent of the
    world’s biodiversity. Conservation initiatives and the protection of carbon sinks are
    vital to mitigate climate change and avert its worst effects. Ample evidence shows
    protecting forest-dependent communities, the rights of Indigenous peoples’ tenure,
    ensuring women’s participation in local forest governance delivers major benefits for
    the climate. Furthermore, in cases where women have been fully involved in local forest
    governance that delivers both livelihood and conservation benefits, forest
    regeneration and canopy growth improved. (Human Rights Watch)
  9. Best practices in just climate-responsive legislations and strategies should
    be replicated.
    a. Illinois offers a prime example of transformative legislation at the state
    level. The groundbreaking Climate and Equitable Jobs Act is legislation that
    will bring lessons learned to states across the country that are poised to make an
    equitable transition from fossil fuels to clean energy. The Climate and Equitable
    Jobs Act marks one of the nation’s greatest advancements in climate justice and
    workforce transition, creating integrated solutions that advance equity and
    climate objectives.
    b. Women’s Intercultural Network encourages states, non-governmental and
    the public and private sectors to fund and apply the gender-focused evaluation,
    practices, and metrics outlined in CEDAW to bring this global framework to
    local communities to advance women and girls’ equity and accelerate progress
    across all SDG’s. The sustainable cities initiative of UN-Habitat and the work
    to realize SDG 11 have spurred policies, programs, partnerships, and initiatives
    to address local risk and resiliency. Gender mainstreaming is imperative to
    ensure this work is inclusive, equitable, effective, and sustainable. Women’s
    Intercultural Network has been connecting CEDAW to local action. Since its
    launch in 2014, the Cities for CEDAW Campaign has identified vital links
    between human rights, gender equity, and local public policy. As Resolutions
    and Ordinances have taken shape in numerous localities across the United
    States, it is clear that advocates, both men, and women, see their communities as
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    responsive, organic, and committed to the well-being and empowerment of
    women and girls and families. To date, under the aegis of Women’s Intercultural
    Network and partners, 10 cities have enacted ordinances that incorporate anti-discrimination human rights standards and strategies into local governance,
    modeled by the language of the UN CEDAW Treaty.
    These ordinances demonstrate the growing consensus that CEDAW is a roadmap
    to gender equity, inclusion, and sustainability at the grassroots level. In addition to
    US municipal ordinances, there are currently 10 county governmental bodies that
    have adopted the CEDAW model to identify inequities. The Cities for CEDAW
    Campaign mandates a Gender Analysis to study and address discriminatory policies
    and practices. These analyses provide localized disaggregate data points on
    employment, social services, access, and participation. The resulting data informs
    strategic plans and policy decisions. Adopting a local CEDAW framework provides
    oversight and creates the measurement mechanisms essential to track progress.
    Oversight bodies like Gender Equity Commissions and Task Forces have been
    instrumental in addressing equitable inclusive decision-making, pay equity, work-related imbalances, safety, and violence against women.
    Climate risk is a vulnerability multiplier. Because CEDAW cities are more
    equitable, they are inherently more resilient. Closing the gender gap builds individual
    and community resilience.
    The CEDAW framework is instrumental in advancing the BPfA. It provides
    local governments, in partnership with civil society organizations and the private
    sector, the tools to build a sustainable infrastructure for gender equality. CEDAW
    establishes that climate justice and sexual and reproductive health rights are
    interlinked in the human rights and empowerment framework.
  10. Climate Investments must match the scale and urgency of the problem.
    Prioritizing women in clean energy investments, access to capital, job training, hiring,
    ownership, and new business creation is important in closing the gender gap and a
    necessary step to “building back better.” These mitigation investments must include
    retrofitting buildings to increase energy efficiency; adopting renewable energy
    sources like solar, wind; helping cities develop more sustainable transport: bus rapid
    transit, electric vehicles, and promoting more sustainable uses of land and forests.
    Programs and policies that protect Coastal Wetlands, promote Agroforestry and
    regenerative farming, decentralize clean energy distribution, and fund integrated
    solutions that address adaptation and mitigation will promote resiliency.