SDGs for Peace: Leveraging the HLPF Process to Feature Local Women's Peace Work
Participants and panellists of the 2017 HLPF side-event entitled, “From Shrinking Spaces to Feminist Movement Building: Key Priorities on SDG 5 and 16 for Sustaining Peace” (Photo: Alexandra Rojas)
The Second High-Level Political Forum (2017 HLPF) was convened at the time when the aspirations of the SDGs are on the rise but the current climate of violence, patriarchy and political economies of war increasingly restricts women’s meaningful participation and creates structural barriers to the effective SDG implementation.
As part of our work to strengthen conflict prevention and promote accountability on gender equality and peace, WILPF’s Women, Peace and Security Programme monitored the forum for gender and conflict issues, mobilised action, through its outreach strategy and in coalition with Women’s Major Group, to promote implementation of the SDGs in a way that ensures women’s meaningful participation and provides local women with opportunities for concrete action.
We have made our message loud and clear: The SDGs can only be successful only if structural barriers, including gendered inequalities and militarisation, are addressed for every person everywhere, including for women in conflict areas.
As a result of our monitoring and dialogue with peace activists and feminist leaders, including during the Pre-HLPF webinar and the HLPF side-event co-sponsored by WILPF, we have identified several opportunities for further leveraging SDG action for gender equality and feminist peace.
As a peace activist, you can
- Build inclusive national and regional participatory mechanisms for the SDG implementation;
- Utilise other UN processes, including the UPR review and the CEDAW Committee’s work, to strengthen the SDG Implementation;
- Sensitise local population about the 2030 Agenda through media and academia;
- Call for policy coherence on national implementation based on women's human rights standards that address extraterritorial accountability for spillover effects around goal interactions;
- Expose the long-term impact of working with corporations and big for-profit companies on the SDG implementation on human rights and freedoms.
The key to realising the SDGs is to empower feminist movements and build human rights accountability globally. Together, we will continue to work in solidarity with activists and partners everywhere for a world with a deeply rooted feminist vision for a broad impact.
Join the movement! Through ties of sisterhood and solidarity, we can weave the fabric of a more just and feminist peace.
Find more information about WILPF’s engagement at the 2017 High-Level Political Forum here>>>