We, Displaced and Stateless Women: Leading Transformation to Shape a Peaceful Future 

Event details

Co-Hosts: United Nations Women's Peace and Humanitarian Fund (WPHF), United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Action Network on Forced Displacement, Germany, France, UN Women

Moderator: Taban Shoresh, Founder & CEO of the Lotus Flower, Spokesperson of the Action Network on Forced Displacement

Date and time: Thursday, 13th March, 19:00 - 20:30 CET (13:00 - 14:30 EST - room reserved in UN Women HQ from 12:30 to 15:00). Hybrid event with live stream on Zoom.

Location: UN Women HQ, Daily News Building at 220 East 42nd St (between 2nd and 3rd avenue), New York; 19th floor New York - room US/CR1924-1925

Registration: This is a hybrid event with live stream on Zoom and participants need to register for either in-person or online participation.

Abstract

Thirty years after the historic adoption of the Beijing Declaration, displacement crises are at an all-time high, disproportionately impacting women and girls. Yet, recent crises, from Sudan, to Ukraine, to the Democratic Republic of Congo, Syria and beyond, have shown how forcibly displaced women provide critical leadership to address conflict and crises with their lived experience and expertise. The same holds true in statelessness contexts. Stateless women are not only disproportionately affected by statelessness but are also at the forefront of efforts to address it. This confirms how the narrative needs to decisively shift beyond seeing forcibly displaced and stateless women solely as vulnerable individuals in need of support to recognizing their resilience and leadership as critical agents of change.

The CSW69 side event, "We, Displaced and Stateless Women: Leading Transformation to Shape a Peaceful Future," celebrates the power and strength of forcibly displaced and stateless women and their critical role in advancing the commitments of the Beijing Declaration, Security Council Resolution 1325, and the Global Compact on Refugee (GCR).

Co-hosted by the United Nations Women's Peace and Humanitarian Fund (WPHF), Germany, France, the Action Network on Forced Displacement, and United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), this event will highlight and reinforce the commitments to invest in forcibly displaced and stateless women's leadership, initiative and power as agents of change within their own communities. It will also build on pledges' implementation from the Global Refugee Forum (GRF) 2023 as well as recommendations of the 2024 UNHCR Global Consultations with NGOs and the Global Compact on Women, Peace and Security and Humanitarian Action (WPS-HA Compact).

Through direct testimonies, accounts of lived experiences, and actionable recommendations from forcibly displaced and stateless women as well as women's organizations working with displaced women and girls, the event will showcase women's leadership and strength in promoting protection, socio-economic recovery, and peacebuilding in conflict-affected contexts. The event will also highlight local solutions led by forcibly displaced and stateless women and girls in advancing the commitments of the Beijing Declaration and showcase examples of the "Global Compact on Refugees in Action" and the WPHF Funding Initiative on Forced Displacement.

The event will culminate in a call to action to invest in displaced and stateless women's leadership and initiatives and to support partnerships with WLOs, including those led by forcibly displaced and stateless women, to fully unlock their potential as agents of change in advancing equitable, peaceful, and economically sustainable futures.

Goal

The discussions will reaffirm and amplify the significant role, agency and impact of organizations led by forcibly displaced and stateless women - as crucial actors across various displacement and statelessness contexts. This will include announcements of new investments in funding instruments that advance displaced women's leadership such as the WPHF Funding Initiative on Forced Displacement in partnership with Germany and the Action Network on Forced Displacement and commitments to implement or join GRF multi-stakeholder pledges advancing the protection of women and girls.

Speakers

Event speakers include:

• Alexei Buzu, Minister of Labour and Social Protection, Moldova
• Madame Isabelle Rome, Ambassador-At-Large for Human Rights, France
• Ruven Menikdiwela, Assistant High Commissioner for Protection, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
• Tonni Ann Brodber, Head of Secretariat, United Nations Women’s Peace and Humanitarian Fund (WPHF)
• Maya Ghazal, UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador
• Neha Gurung, Co-Lead at the Global Movement Against Statelessness and Co-founder and Head of Legal Aid and Advocacy at the Citizenship Affected People’s Network, Nepal
• Anila Noor, Spokesperson of the Action Network on Forced Displacement and Founder and Managing Director New Women Connectors and Refugee Activist
• Anzhelika Bielova, President and Founder of the Association of Roma Women "Voice of Romni"
• Fajer Rabia Pasha, Executive Director of Pakistan Alliance for Girls Education (PAGE)
• Shaza Bala Elmahdi, Country Director of CIPE Sudan and Member of CenterLink Africa

Recording

Watch the recording of the event