Statement of the members of UN Women Civil Society Advisory Group for the Americas and the Caribbean
Date:
30 YEARS OF THE BEIJING CONFERENCE
30 years after the Beijing Conference, the UN Women LAC Civil Society Advisory Group celebrates its anniversary, honors our history and reaffirms that we demonstrate our commitment to the agenda of peace, human rights, gender equality and social justice.
Our region continues to be the most unequal in the world. Today, it is also experiencing a situation of growing political instability, democratic setbacks and a weakening of human rights protection mechanisms, which puts the lives and dignity of millions of women in and girls all their diversity at risk.
The rise of authoritarian and conservative governments that restrict fundamental freedoms and dismantle gender equality policies intensifies the closure of civic space and the restriction of the right to political participation, especially affecting women and historically excluded populations. The instrumentalization of the discourse of "family protection" and "traditional values" by anti-rights groups.It has made it possible to justify regressive policies that limit sexual and reproductive rights, restrict substantive equality and reinforce structural violence against women. The growing influence of fundamentalist sectors in politics and in multilateral organizations endangers the autonomy of our bodies and our ability to decide about our own lives.
In this context of conservative onslaught and democratic crisis, we urgently call for feminist solidarity and collective political action. The defense of women's human rights in all their diversity requires strong and articulated responses at the regional and international level. It is imperative to strengthen alliances between social movements, human rights organizations, feminist networks and progressive actors who defend social justice and gender equality. We also urge States to fulfill their international commitments, ratify the CEDAW optional protocol, ratify the Escazu Agreement and guarantee a safe environment for those who defend human rights and democracy. In this sense, we call on the United Nations system to strengthen itself and assume a more active and committed role in the defense and protection of women's human rights, as well as to get closer to feminist movements and territories where structural violence and gender inequality are experienced and resisted.
The 30 years of the Beijing Conference must be a turning point to reaffirm the resistance of feminist movements and demand a world free of violence, inequalities and exclusions. We will not accept setbacks or complicit silences. The fight for women's rights is a fight for democracy, social justice and the dignity of all people. From Latin America and the Caribbean, we raise our voices firmly: Not one step back, without leaving anyone behind, alive and free.