This year, Kigali hosted the 6th edition of “Women Deliver” from July 17 to 20, a large-scale international conference that brought together some 6,000 people and hundreds of CSOs with one goal at heart: to achieve progress in the rights of women and girls around the world with concrete action, with a special focus on sexual and reproductive health and rights. Women Deliver was also a chance for feminist organizations to meet (or meet again) and share their experiences, thereby creating valuable synergies. Let’s take stock!
FEMINISTS IN ACTION SPOKE OUT
23 associations sponsored by the Feminists in Action project attended the event in Kigali. Most of these CSOs are based in West Africa, but several associations came from Latin America and the Middle East. What was their message?
Read also: Feminists in Action at Women Deliver!
Bénédicta ALOAKINNOU, from the Beninese Fondation des Jeunes Amazones pour le Développement (The Young Amazons Foundation for Development), puts it this way: “It is impossible to have a truly transformative agenda for sexual and reproductive health and rights without using an intersectional and feminist approach. Whether we are talking about boys’ education, girls’ empowerment, strengthening a legal framework, or giving survivors of violence a holistic support package, we must take action now as a society and as politicians. We will not wait any longer.”
Associations have also called on institutional donors to be more vigilant and reconsider their selection criteria for subsidies and grants. Apart from the financial and managerial requirements that ensure an organization’s stability, donors must assess project quality and carefully examine how applicants define themselves to avoid funding anti-feminist programs.
Zipporah Ndione, a member of ROAJELF Sénégal, one of the beneficiary networks of Feminists in Action, presented the project during an event organized by the AFD (Agence Française de Développement) entitled “Catalyzing action to tackle the neglected challenges of sexual and reproductive health and rights.” During her speech, Ndione reiterated the need to finance structural projects that allow organizations to confront anti-rights movements and catalyze various initiatives and projects through one movement while breaking down barriers with multi-sectoral and holistic approaches.
To learn more about West African feminist causes, read this paper written in collaboration with Equipop.
ANTI-RIGHTS MOVEMENTS DO NOT BELONG IN OUR SPACES
The 6th edition of this conference was strongly affected by the threat of anti-rights movements, which have managed to find a seat at every table, including international conferences such as Women Deliver. The opening ceremony was marred by the presence of Katalin Novak, the Hungarian president and figurehead of anti-rights movements, who took the floor in front of a stunned and angered audience. That week, associations tirelessly called for maximum exposure and better organization to counter these movements.
See also: Feedback on Women Deliver: We must not give in to anti-rights movements.
THE NEED FOR MORE FRENCH-SPEAKING SPACES FOR WOMEN
“We need more French-speaking spaces to ensure that language is no obstacle,” said Dieynaba Ndiom, Initiative pour la Santé de la Reproduction (Initiative for Reproductive Health), Mauritania. During that week, most African and French-speaking organizations demanded that the language barrier be acknowledged. Indeed, most conferences were in English, excluding French-speaking participants from many discussions. They regretted the lack of French-speaking spaces and organized themselves to lead action for linguistic justice on their social networks. Ensuring linguistic inclusiveness remains a crucial challenge if we are to secure the broadest possible participation of all feminist voices, especially at major international gatherings.