WUNRN
RELIGIOUS & POLITICO-RELIGIOUS FORCES + THEIR ALIGNMENTS – ASSUREDLY AT THE UN – MAJOR POWER
& POLICY FORCES THAT IMPACT WOMEN’S & GIRLS’ HUMAN RIGHTS, EQUALITY, EMPOWERMENT, JUSTICE
Among the “actors of influence” at the UN and in the political and politico-religious activists, are the religious NGO’s and including those religious groups that are most conservative, most
following institutional doctrine/protocol.
While grassroots women’s programs are constantly challenged to raise funds to come to CSW in NY, the Human Rights Council in Geneva, and other High Level policy impacting venues, the religion and belief lobbyists are often sustainably present and well-funded, to keep their issues forefront and to establish networking of affinity.
WUNRN is particularly interested in this dimension of the changing and power-shifting advocacy on women’s and girls’ human rights as WUNRN is based on the UN Study on the Status of Women, Freedom of Religion or Belief, and Traditions, which was directed by the former High Commissioner for Human Rights Mary Robinson, and which is on the WUNRN website translated into the six official UN languages. http://www.wunrn.com/un_study/un_study.htm
But, now we have additional lobbying alignments of the Private Sector joining with political powers, international financial institutions, the UN system, and even religions. The language may be changed to be more specific “audience internalized,” but the ultimate goals may be specific and vested interest, and often a challenge for gender equality and human rights.
It is hard to separate out “conservative” forces as there are often intersectionalities for particular issues as women’s reproductive health and rights.
And now there are terrorist movements, with their created doctrines as embracing religious beliefs, but in many ways distanced from core conservatives, even orthodox religious postures, and creating violence and conflict that sweeps through regions of today’s complex world, and so often victimizing women and girls/children in the process. They may create trauma and attacks in the name of “religion” and at the mercy of those of other beliefs.
So, as we come to CSW and exchange important communications online, as we review (AGAIN!) the Beijing Declaration & Platform for Action and approach the Post-2015 Development Agenda, let us be continually attentive to WHO ULTIMATELY HAS THE POWER, WHO RULES, WHO CONTROLS THE MONEY AND AGENDA, AND WHO PERSEVERES WITH ADVOCACY LEVERAGE…….and PLEDGE AGAIN, TO EACH OTHER, TO SKILLFULLY AND SUSTAINABLY ADVOCATE FOR THE WOMEN’S MOVEMENT, ALWAYS AND EVER!!
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WUNRN
RELIGIOUS NGO'S AT THE UNITED NATIONS
LOBBYING
FOR FAITH & FAMILY – STUDY
Direct
Link to Full 38=Page 2013 Report:
Religious organizations are a relatively small minority of NGOs at the United Nations (UN). Still, they are able to make themselves clearly heard and seen.
This study focuses on religiously motivated lobbying groups fighting against sexual andreproductive health and rights (SRHR) policies at the UN. While health policy is usuallyframed as a part of the secular political domain, it touches upon combustible religious values and engages powerful alliances across religious divides. Catholics and Mormons; Christians and Muslims; Russian Orthodox and American fundamentalists find common ground on traditional values and against SRHR issues at the UN.
The conservative religious lobbies comprise constellations of different organizations with various religious affiliations......Their influence does not reflect their number but is largely due to a striking ability to build alliances across religious boundaries as well as elicit the support of religious communities around the world......
