On March 10, the Nobel Women’s Initiative co-hosted “Protect Women Human Rights Defenders: From Resolutions to Solutions” at the United Nation’s Commission for Status of Women (CSW) at in New York City.
During the event, the groundbreaking impact of Resolution 68/181 (passed in November 2013) was recognized and its effect in amplifying the challenges faced by women human rights defenders (WHRDs). The event aimed to start a dialogue on ways to implement effective protection mechanisms for WHRDs and create an environment for their crucial human rights work. The event underscored the importance of redesigning the Millennium Development Goals to emphasize the unique needs faced by WHRDs and implement appropriate measures in the post-2015 development agenda. Follow along the entire conversation in the tweet transcript, below.
The event was opened by Norwegian Deputy Foreign Minister Hans Brattskar. Sussan Tahmasebi, an Iranian WHRD and founder of International Civil Society Action Network,Cristina Hardaga Fernandez from JASS, Director of AWID Charlotte Bunch and John Hendra, the Deputy Executive Director of UN Women, also spoke. Hardaga Fernandez, co-ordinator with JASS Mesoamerica, explained how, “[we] don’t want protection mechanisms that take them out of their country. We want them to stay.”
The Nobel Women’s Initiative hosted the event in collaboration with JASS Associates, ICAN, AWID, ISHR, Amnesty International, WHRD International Coalition, UN Women and the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
http://storify.com/nobelwomen/csw-women-human-rights-defenders-event