I would like to reiterate our requests to the RIM, which may be summed up to the call for government delegates to be BOLD enough to embrace a transformative development agenda – the agenda that rethinks the concept of growth/ alongside reform of economic governance and within our strained planetary boundaries; the agenda that establishes “economies that work for the people, and not people working for the economy,” also the agenda that tackles the root structural causes of inequality between and within countries, between rich and poor and between men and women.

Concretely, we recommend the following:

1. We call for deep and structural changes in existing global systems of power, resources and decision-making. We need frameworks and institutions that are  democratic, transparent, accountable to all people, particularly the most vulnerable and marginalized. this should be based on internationally agreed human rights standards and obligations, Rio Principles and previous sustainable development commitments.

2. On key priorities for Post 2015 development agenda, we think that the new development framework should guarantee:

• People’s control over resources and sustainable livelihoods, particularly for rural, indigenous peoples. We need to urgently address climate change, the trend of land and ocean grabbing in the region, and place food sovereignty framework at the core of SDGs.
• Ensuring environmental sustainability and animal welfare
• Guarantee decent work and living wages, full employment, universal social protection and social dialogue. Including ensuring policies to protect migrant workers and recognizing domestic work as work.
• Placing peace and security based on justice as highly important and integral element of sustainable development. This includes measures on the elimination of all forms of violence against women.
• Lastly, good governance starts at home with women able to make decisions over their own bodies, sexuality and lives. We need a minimum guarantee that the new development framework ensures sexual and reproductive rights for women and girls, and access to quality and comprehensive sexual and reproductive health services for women and girls

3. On the means of implementation, we call on governments and other stakeholders for:

• using the human rights architecture as its’ basis and prioritize public financing over public-private partnerships in order to realize states obligations to allocate the maximum available resources.
• Transparent and inclusive mechanisms for data collection and analysis for monitoring progress that draw inputs from marginalized groups – including women; Transparency of information, including budgets, Transparent and inclusive decision-making processes and mechanisms at all levels and across thematic themes
• We also call on developed countries to honor their Rio commitments to provide financial resources and transfer technologies to least developed and developing countries.

Excellencies, Distinguished delegates….

We call for special and deliberate attention to the plights of SIDS, LDCs and other vulnerable countries; and for special efforts to ensure the meaningful participation of marginalized and vulnerable groups and stakeholders in policy- and decision-making. We welcome the support for multi-stakeholder processes, but stress that engagement with the private sector must be complemented by accountability.

We also call on governments and ESCAP to recognize the contributions that civil society is making and call for the formalization of our participation in decision-making. We feel the importance for our voices to be acknowledged and to be heard, and to have an equal partnership with governments in the decision-making on national, regional and global forum.

That is what we believe as genuine and meaningful regional and global partnership.

There can be no sustainable development without full, meaningful and effective participation of civil society and people’s movements. Thank you.

Thank you Chair and member states delegations.My name is Teresita Vistro representing Asia Pacific Forum on Women, Law and Development. I’m speaking today on behalf of the Women’s Major Group.

The Asia and Pacific region faces some major challenges to achieving sustainable development. In order to address these challenges, there is an urgent need for clarity on the practices of maldevelopment that must be discontinued in our region, and on transformative development alternatives that will instead positively impact on the lives of people in Asia-Pacific, including women and girls.

We affirm the statements of those governments here, that emphasize the centrality of human rights and gender equality in sustainable development and the Post 2015 development agenda. We also strongly call for more explicit mention of gender equality and women’s rights in all national and regional statements, government policies and programmes as we move into these global Open Working Group process, and High Level Political Forum deliberations.

Further, the Women’s Major Group demand increased government, UNESCAP and civil society attention to escalating cases of land and ocean grabbing in the region. We further call for strongest attention to the impacts of global warming, climate change, ocean acidification in the region, and globally.

Moreover, we call for an end to government policies that promote rapid and resource intensive practies such as extractive industries, forestry and illegal logging, deep sea mining,  and unregulated fishing. These have led to poor men and women in Asia and the Pacific living in the most precarious environments, rendered homeless and also often forcibly evicted from their homes and land. Add to this unsafe household and industrial waste contaminating living environments, waterways and oceanic pollution and it is exceedingly clear that the region must indeed move quickly toward a new kind of sustainable development, and new state responses to poverty eradication.

We reiterates that Asia and Pacific development has been built on the backs of women, and it is time to end this. Women in our region produce the world´s products at increasingly lower prices; working for below subsistence wages in unbearable conditions. Women workers are denied rights to organise and bargain. Women working as domestic workers, Asia and the Pacific´s most common occupation for women are working 18 hour days, without a day off, nor guaranteed wage. They are separated from family and routinely abused at home and abroad where they also now take on roles in an unregulated and often exploitative  global care chain  In homes, countries, and the region, women’s rights and autonomy over our bodies and life decisions are violated, especially due to the escalating fundamentalism and the politicization of religion.  Moreover, Women face sexual and gender based violence, and are forced to work in a globally dysfunctional economic system that further exploits in the name of development. The current development model has clearly failed rural, indigenous, migrant women.

These are the realities of too many women in Asia and the Pacific, and has to be addressed urgently. This is the time for us to aim for a transformative and redistributive framework that reduce inequalities of wealth, power and resources, and that exacerbates gender, ethnic, class, and many other forms of inequalities.

Concretely, the Women’s Major Group recommend the following:

• We call for deep and structural changes in existing global systems of power, resources and decision making. We need new frameworks and institutions designed to be democratic, accountable to all people and particularly those most affected, based on internationally agreed human rights standards and obligations;
• The Post-2015 development agenda framework must be based on existing human rights legal norms, standards and political commitments. International human rights law, including the UDHR, CEDAW, the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, ECSR, and ICCPR  and their follow-up programmes must form a non-negotiable base;
• There must be clear and time-bound commitments, with targets and indicators measuring quality  as well as quantity and aiming to address inter and intra-state inequalities.
• On Means of Implementation, we call for timely collection and disaggregation of data on the basis of all the grounds of discrimination and their intersectionality as essential to identify, visibilise and respond to inequalities and violations of human rights and to increase accountability. Mechanisms for data collection and analysis for monitoring progress must be transparent and inclusive of input from women’s groups; require transparency of information, including budgets, as well as of decision-making processes and mechanisms at all levels and across thematic themes, as a principle to underpin the Post-2015 development framework.  We demand it not only from governments, but all other development actors;
• We call on UNESCAP, UNEP and whole UN system to reflect diverse needs of all women in their programs and practices. The UN system is accountable in fully protecting and promoting  gender equality and women’s rights including urging governments to implement their human rights obligations;We demand the new development framework includes dedicated gender equality goals, as well as specific targets and indicators throughout. It should be an explicit priority of governments and all major groups;
• Finally Member states, We call for your full guarantee of women’s control over resources and sustainable livelihood, the full implementation of decent work and living wage, full, equal and meaningful participation of women in all decision bodies in all levels, elimination of all forms of violence against women, and an environment of peace and security for women to fully realise their rights. Lastly, we urge government to guarantee sexual and reproductive rights and access to quality and comprehensive sexual and reproductive health services to women and girls. When women from Asia and the Pacific do not have the ability to make decisions on all aspects of their sexuality and decide the number and spacing of their children, then they cannot participate wholly in any aspects of our lives.

Mr. Chair, Honorable Delegations, Major Groups; we are now have the opportunity to chart a new sustainable development course; one that the vast majority of this world wants. It is indeed one that is based on global equity, sustainability of justice, realisation of univeral human rights , gender equality and dignity for all – including all women and girls in Asia and the Pacific.

This is the time for us to be brave!

Wardarina – APWLD Program Officer of Breaking Out of Marginalisation – delivered the intervention on the session of SDGs and Post 2015 Development Agenda:

Thank you Chair, my name is Wardarina from Asia Pacific Forum on Women, Law and Development (APWLD). We are a regional women network with 180 members in 25 countries in Asia-Pacific who work with rural, indigenous, migrant women. I’m speaking on behalf of women major group.

The Campaign Statement calls on the governments and the international community to break away from the current model of development that emphasis on the capital over the rights of the people and the environment. The statement also demand for the formation of both national and international multistakeholder bodies/processes to provide full mechanisms and opportunities for civil society organisations to participate in decision making at all levels.

The initiators of the campaign are 8 national and local organizations and 16 international and regional networks representing an extensive range of social movements of the South.  These include the Asia Pacific Forum on Women, Law and Development (APWLD), the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), Peoples Coalition for Food Sovereignty (PCFS), International Migrants Alliance, and Friends of the Earth-Indonesia among many others.

“Women of the Asia Pacific call for the sustainable development founded on the principles of human rights, equality, and gender justice that empowers people, particularly women–including indigenous and disadvantaged women– to fully participate in and benefit from the development processes and outcomes at all levels. We invite the women’s movements and CSOs in the region to join the campaign in ensuring women’s human rights perspectives in both national and international development agenda,” comments Kate Lappin, Regional Coordinator of APWLD.

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To learn more about the People’s Goals for Sustainable Development, please click here.

To join the the campaign or sign this Statement, please email pquintos[at]iboninternational.org on or before Nov. 8, 2012

The global model of development is not working for rural, indigenous and migrant women of Asia Pacific. Yet we don’t get a say in how this global system affects us.

We need development goals that focus on sustainable communities, sustainable lives and sustainable environments.

And click here for our handy one-page advocacy brief

Chiang Mai (29 June, 2012):

We acknowledge that the Outcome Document of Rio+20 recognises the importance of promoting gender equality and empowerment of women, and in particular the importance of women’s access to ownership and control over land and natural resources, health care, social services and education (paras. 109, 240); decent working conditions and social protection for women in the informal sector (paras. 153, 156); protection of human rights and fundamental freedom of all migrants regardless of migration status, especially women (para. 157);  and women’s full and equal participation in decision making and management and leadership in all areas at all levels (paras. 45, 236, 237).

However, we remain unconvinced that these will be made into policy with regulated mechanisms to make these commitments a reality. The ‘green economy’ is still based on the current neoliberal economy and will not resolve the financial, economic, food, energy and climate crises that the system has caused. Instead it will only deepen poverty, exclusion and injustice in society, especially for rural, indigenous and migrant women. Without addressing the cause of the crises and historical and structural discrimination against women, the ‘green economy’ will continue to marginalise rural, indigenous and migrant women. We are concerned that ‘green economy’ will merely instrumentalise women for economic growth and the profit of the private sector.

A full description of the critical issues for Asia Pacific women is below.

The women of Asia Pacific remain committed to engaging in sustainable development in all its future measures, processes and structures. We are determined to fully participate in establishing, supporting and monitoring the implementation of the sustainable development outcomes and goals in the region. But we demand that governments address these key issues and commit to SDGs so women can have a leading voice in the post-Rio process.

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For more information:  Sarah Matsushita sarah@apwld.org

http://www.apwld.org/ Twitter @apwldrio20

Just and Sustainable Development- Critical Issues Missing for Asia Pacific Women

Access to Resources: The best way to eradicate poverty is to make sure women and men have access to, ownership of and control over land. Access and control over land would ensure food sovereignty for rural and indigenous women and their community. Governments must ensure access to resources includes finance, sustainable energies, information, education, health care and markets.

Employment and economic rights: The economic growth model, which will continue in the “green economy”, depends on gendered and international division of labour exploiting informal cheap labour mostly performed by women in the global south. This includes women migrant domestic workers, who are often from marginalised communities and vulnerable to discrimination, harassment, abuse and violence. We demand that all States legally recognise domestic work as work and ensure that women workers, including migrant workers regardless of their legal status, are ensured equal access to education, skills, healthcare, social security, fundamental rights at work, and social and legal protections, including occupational safety and health. States should address the root causes of women’s migration and the conditions necessary for sustainable development with safe and protected jobs for women, including alternatives to migration. This involves enacting and enforcing laws, procedures and redress mechanisms that prevent exploitation and abuse of women migrant workers, and fulfilling their extra territorial obligations.

Militarisation/peace: Militarisation, often a justification for peace and development, only deepens injustice by suppressing the voices of people and denying people’s access to resources. Natural resource extractions have often involved forced and violent responses by the military and private security hired by companies, to communities and individuals who claim their legitimate right to resources, of which women are most adversely affected.  Women human rights defenders combating the negative impact of the extractive activities are often the target of harassment, sexual abuse and even murder by these forces. Conflict over natural resources often forces women to migrate or become displaced, becoming vulnerable to violations without basic human rights protections. We call on States to monitor and stop the use of state military, paramilitary and private armed groups, including foreign military interventions, in protecting development projects, which are primarily funded by international funding institutions.

Voice: Rural, indigenous and migrant women benefit least from economic growth, yet suffer the most from loss of sustainable lands, climate disasters and inequality. They are rarely heard or engaged as decision-makers in development. Persistent inequalities- including economic, social, cultural and political- prevent women’s full and meaningful participation in policy making, development programmes and implementation. Governments and development institutions must ensure that women, especially rural, indigenous and migrant women, are not only present in formal processes, but also contribute their perspectives and recommendations decision-making at all levels of development issues. This must be done through a bottom-up, decentralised process owned by people.

In addition, in order to ensure accountability and transparency, all States are obliged to provide mechanisms through which people can hold the State and private actors accountable, participate constructively in decision and policy-making, and access information required to do so.

The women are critical of the role of the private sector as well as the Holy See in dictating ‘the future’ as presented in the document. “We came here to tell governments what future rural and indigenous women, who are suffering the most from the unsustainable world, want,” said Tess Vistro of AMIHAN– National Peasant Women’s Network in the Philippines. “But instead we are presented with a future that unelected corporations and religious leaders want” she added.

The women say that a sustainable future for rural and indigenous women can only be secured if women have access to sustainable land and resources. “One of the biggest issues for women in our region is the loss of access to lands. So called ‘development’ is actually reducing the amount of land we have to grow food and so many women and communities are being forced out of their homes because of profit-driven development,” said Wathshlah Naidu of International Women’s Rights Action Watch, Asia Pacific.

They say their voices are being used as window dressing in the process. “We have seen a lot of green washing here, but we also see ‘pink washing,’” said Tomoko Kashiwazaki, of Asia Pacific Forum on Women, Law and Development. “Pink washing is when states use gender equality as a façade. They talk about women’s empowerment, but they ignore the fact that that means handing over some power and making sure there is genuine decision making and control by women.”

Attached are the women’s key demands for just and sustainable development.

Asia Pacific women demand that these key issues be addressed by States before the adoption of the outcome document of Rio+20.  Said Aliza Yuliana of Solidaritas Perempuan, Indonesia, “Women in Asia Pacific are committed to sustainable development, and want to work toward the sustainable development goals in our region. But to do this our voices must be integrated into the document and our human rights protected.”

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Key Demands from Asia Pacific Women for Sustainable Goals in the Rio+20 Outcome Document

Women from Asia Pacific demand governments address critical issues on women’s human rights missing in the Rio+20 negotiations for sustainable development. Employment and economic rights, militarisation, sexual and reproductive health and rights, and women’s role in climate change significantly impact women across the region, yet are being ignored. Asia Pacific women call for States to ensure the promotion, protection and realisation of women’s human rights in the outcome document.

Our six women’s rights organisations represent rural, indigenous and migrant women across Asia Pacific and we see serious gaps in the current draft of the outcome document.

Employment and economic rights: The economic growth model, which will continue in the “green economy”, depends on gendered and international division of labour exploiting informal cheap labour mostly performed by women in the global south.  Under-recognition of domestic work reflects exploitative conditions and rampant abuse of domestic workers. This includes women migrant domestic workers, who are often from marginalised communities and vulnerable to discrimination, harassment, abuse and violence. Dismissal of their substantial contribution to economic development is a serious loss in women’s human capacity which could contribute to sustainable development and to eradicating poverty. We demand that all States legally recognise domestic work as work and ensure that women workers, including migrant workers regardless of their legal status, are ensured equal access to education, skills, healthcare, social security, fundamental rights at work, and social and legal protections, including occupational safety and health. States should address the root causes of women’s migration and the conditions necessary for sustainable development with safe and protected jobs for women, including alternatives to migration. This involves enacting and enforcing laws, procedures and redress mechanisms that prevent exploitation and abuse of women migrant workers. States, in fulfilling their extra territorial obligations, must review bilateral agreements that contribute to discrimination and violations of the rights of women migrant workers and ensure States fulfill human rights obligations not only within, but also outside their territories.

Militarisation/peace: Militarisation, often a justification for peace and development, only deepens injustice by suppressing the voices of people and denying people’s access to resources. Opening up of new agricultural lands or construction of roads to connect commodity supply with demand most often fragments habitat, and in addition leads to land conflicts and increase use of militarization resulting in  violence and displacement, of which women are most adversely affected. Natural resource extractions have often involved forced and violent responses by the military and private security hired by companies, to communities and individuals who claim their legitimate right to resources.  Women human rights defenders combating the negative impact of the extractive activities are often the target of harassment, sexual abuse and even murder by these forces. Conflict over natural resources often forces women to migrate or become displaced, becoming vulnerable to violations without basic human rights protections, especially rural and indigenous women.  A militaristic approach to “development, which denies the human rights of women and peoples, shall never result in sustainable development.  We call on States to monitor and stop the use of state military, paramilitary and private armed groups, including foreign military interventions, in protecting development projects, which are primarily funded by international funding institutions.

Sexual and reproductive health and rights: The full realisation of sustainable development can only be realised when the states accept the importance of women’s right to health and inter alia protect and promote women’s fundamental human right to nutritional well-being throughout their life span by means of a food supply that is safe, nutritious and adapted to local conditions as well as recognise the sexual and reproductive health and rights of women. In addressing the inter-relatedness of rights, it is essential that the Rio+20 outcome document recognise and adopt recommendations for States to ensure timely access to the range of family planning, in particular, and to sexual and reproductive health and rights in general. Particular attention should be paid to the health education of adolescents, including information and counseling on all methods of family planning.

The environment and climate change: Women’s role in climate change is often limited to defining their role as protectors of the environment, and less as agents of change. This perception often blocks their right to participate in climate change related policies, and in natural resources management. Climate change programmes and projects, including international mechanisms to protect areas from deforestation and enhance biodiversity, should be carefully considered. States should ensure effective forest protection policies which require governments to resolve the global economic and trade pressures that cause deforestation. The rights of indigenous and rural communities are not adequately addressed by the supposed “safeguards” currently in place. We call on States to eliminate laws, policies and practices which instrumentalise women as mere protectors of the environment. There should be a commitment to ensure women as active decision-makers in disaster and natural resources management policy and programme development.

In ensuring the adoption of a human rights centred approach the principles of non-discrimination, substantive equality, and the recognition of the inter-relatedness of rights must be maintained, along with recognition of the principles of non-retrogression. States should ensure equal opportunity, access and benefits, and address the impact of historical and structural discrimination against women. This must include temporary special measures and the increase of women’s participation to accelerate gender equality.

In order to ensure accountability and transparency, all States are obliged to provide mechanisms through which people can hold the State and private actors accountable, participate constructively in decision and policy-making, and access information required to do so.

Asia Pacific women demand that these key issues be addressed by States before the adoption of the outcome document of the Rio+20.  The women of Asia Pacific remain committed to engaging on sustainable development in all its future measures, processes and structures, especially in the course of establishing, supporting and monitoring the implementation of the sustainable development outcomes and goals in the region.

AMIHAN – National Peasant Women’s Network, Philippines; Asia Pacific Forum on Women, Law and Development; Asian Rural Women’s Coalition; International Women’s Rights Action Watch Asia Pacific; Kachin Women’s Association in Thailand; Solidaritas Perempuan, Indonesia

# # #

Media contact: Sarah Matsushita, Information and Communications Officer, Asia Pacific Forum on Women, Law and Development sarah@apwld.org Mobile: (66)-84-483-3054

For more information, please visit: http://www.apwld.org/ Twitter @apwldrio20

Click here to download the press release.

Rio de Janeiro (21 June, 2012):

Our six women’s rights organisations represent rural, indigenous and migrant women across Asia Pacific and we see serious gaps in the current draft of the outcome document.

Employment and economic rights: The economic growth model, which will continue in the “green economy”, depends on gendered and international division of labour exploiting informal cheap labour mostly performed by women in the global south.  Under-recognition of domestic work reflects exploitative conditions and rampant abuse of domestic workers. This includes women migrant domestic workers, who are often from marginalised communities and vulnerable to discrimination, harassment, abuse and violence. Dismissal of their substantial contribution to economic development is a serious loss in women’s human capacity which could contribute to sustainable development and to eradicating poverty. We demand that all States legally recognise domestic work as work and ensure that women workers, including migrant workers regardless of their legal status, are ensured equal access to education, skills, healthcare, social security, fundamental rights at work, and social and legal protections, including occupational safety and health. States should address the root causes of women’s migration and the conditions necessary for sustainable development with safe and protected jobs for women, including alternatives to migration. This involves enacting and enforcing laws, procedures and redress mechanisms that prevent exploitation and abuse of women migrant workers. States, in fulfilling their extra territorial obligations must review bilateral agreements that contribute to discrimination and violations of the rights of women migrant workers and ensure States fulfill human rights obligations not only within, but also outside their territories.

Militarisation/peace: Militarisation, often a justification for peace and development, only deepens injustice by suppressing the voices of people and denying people’s access to resources. Opening up of new agricultural lands or construction of roads to connect commodity supply with demand most often fragments habitat, and in addition leads to land conflicts and increase use of militarization resulting to  violence and displacement, of which women are most adversely affected. Natural resource extractions have often involved forced and violent responses by the military and private security hired by companies, to communities and individuals who claim their legitimate right to resources.  Women human rights defenders combating the negative impact of the extractive activities are often the target of harassment, sexual abuse and even murder by these forces. Conflict over natural resources often forces women to migrate or become displaced, becoming vulnerable to violations without basic human rights protections, especially rural and indigenous women.  A militaristic approach to “development, which denies the human rights of women and peoples, shall never result in sustainable development.  We call on States to monitor and stop the use of state military, paramilitary and private armed groups, including foreign military interventions, in protecting development projects, which are primarily funded by international funding institutions.

Sexual and reproductive health and rights: The full realisation of sustainable development can only be realised when the states accept the importance of women’s right to health and inter alia protect and promote women’s fundamental human right to nutritional well-being throughout their life span by means of a food supply that is safe, nutritious and adapted to local conditions as well as recognise the sexual and reproductive health and rights of women. In addressing the inter-relatedness of rights, it is essential that the Rio+20 outcome document recognise and adopt recommendations for States to ensure timely access to the range of family planning, in particular, and to sexual and reproductive health and rights in general. Particular attention should be paid to the health education of adolescents, including information and counseling on all methods of family planning.

The environment and climate change: Women’s role in climate change is often limited to defining their role as protectors of the environment, and less as agents of change. This perception often blocks their right to participate in climate change related policies, and in natural resources management. Climate change programmes and projects, including international mechanisms to protect areas from deforestation and enhance biodiversity, should be carefully considered. States should ensure effective forest protection policies which require governments to resolve the global economic and trade pressures that cause deforestation. The rights of indigenous and rural communities are not adequately addressed by the supposed “safeguards” currently in place. We call on States to eliminate laws, policies and practices which instrumentalise women as mere protectors of the environment. There should be a commitment to ensure women as active decision-makers in disaster and natural resources management policy and programme development.

In ensuring the adoption of a human rights centred approach the principles of non-discrimination, substantive equality, and the recognition of the inter-relatedness of rights must be maintained, along with recognition of the principles of non-retrogression. States should ensure equal opportunity, access and benefits, and address the impact of historical and structural discrimination against women. This must include temporary special measures and the increase of women’s participation to accelerate gender equality.

In order to ensure accountability and transparency, all States are obliged to provide mechanisms through which people can hold the State and private actors accountable, participate constructively in decision and policy-making, and access information required to do so.

Asia Pacific women demand that these key issues be addressed by States before the adoption of the outcome document of the Rio+20.  The women of Asia Pacific remain committed in engaging on sustainable development in all its future measures, processes and structures, especially in the course of establishing, supporting and monitoring the implementation of the sustainable development outcomes and goals in the region.

AMIHAN – National Peasant Women’s Network, Philippines; Asia Pacific Forum on Women, Law and Development; Asian Rural Women’s Coalition; International Women’s Rights Action Watch Asia Pacific; Kachin Women’s Association in Thailand; Solidaritas Perempuan, Indonesia

# # #

Contact:

Asia Pacific Forum on Women, Law and Development: Sarah Matsushita sarah@apwld.org

For more information, please visit: http://www.apwld.org/ Twitter @apwldrio20

Click here to download the statement.

Rio de Janeiro (June 19, 2012):

This is a critical time for drafting the outcome document, as the high level state delegations arrive tomorrow to attend the global conference on sustainable development.

Women from Asia Pacific highlighted critical issues in the region, including women’s right to resources that is being violated by aggressive and often illegal corporate takeovers of land, which in turn affects their right to natural resources, and overall ownership of development policy.

“In this conference after the Beijing Platform for Action, the International Conference on Population and Development and CEDAW optional protocol, there should be recognition by States and governments that women’s rights are central to sustainable development. There will be no sustainable development without gender equality and women’s rights. It is unforgiveable for governments to deny the gains of the global women’s movement in Rio+20,” said Daphne Roxas, from the Philippines-based Asian Women’s Network on Gender and Development, a demand of all government delegations.

Women activists also reminded the audience, “Women’s sexual and reproductive rights are human rights!” and “Women’s rights are not for sale!”

There is a suspicion here at Rio+20 that if governments of developed countries do not commit to additional funds for sustainable development, there will be no “deal” at the conclusion of the conference.

The Rio+20 preparatory negotiation is expected to be completed by the end of today and handed over to the high level segment of the UN Conference on Sustainable Development starting from tomorrow, which will go for the next three days.

The women activists are helping to bring Asia Pacific women’s voices to the UN Conference on Sustainable Development as part of the 13-member delegation representing Asia Pacific Forum on Women, Law and Development (APWLD). APWLD is the region’s leading feminist, membership driven network and an official member of the Women’s Major Group to Rio+20. The delegation is advocating four key areas for future sustainable development: access to resources, decent work and economic rights, peace, and voice.

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Contacts-  Sarah Matsushita sarah@apwld.org

For more information on the APWLD Rio+20 Campaign: http://www.apwld.org/our-work/rio20-campaign-assert-womens-rights-to-resources-development/

Twitter: @apwldrio20

Rio de Janeiro (18 June 2012):

Chanting, “Women say No to land grabbing”, “Women say No to Green Economy”, and “Women say Yes to women’s liberation!”, the women activists helped bring Asia Pacific women’s voices to the UN Conference on Sustainable Development as part of the seven-member delegation representing Asia Pacific Forum on Women, Law and Development (APWLD). APWLD is the region’s leading feminist, membership driven network and an official member of the Women’s Major Group to Rio+20. The delegation is advocating four key areas for future development: access to resources, decent work and economic rights, peace, and voice.

Said delegate Aliza Yuliana, from Solidaritus Perempuan, an Indonesian women’s rights organisation, “It was powerful and moving to see women from around the world asserting their rights, taking centre stage at the march. And we were proud to represent Asia, as we saw few women from the region here. Among others, we successfully made women from Asia visible!”

Naung Latt, of Kachin Women’s Organisation in Thailand, Burma, described the unique opportunity to participate as a woman from Burma. “The Women’s March was an amazing event for me and I cannot get this chance in my own country. Women from around the world joined together to express their fundamental rights. All the governments and every individual must stop violations against women- it is time to promote women’s rights now.”

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Contacts:  Sarah Matsushita, Information and Communications Officer, sarah@apwld.org

APWLD Rio+20 Campaign: http://www.apwld.org/our-work/rio20-campaign-assert-womens-rights-to-resources-development/

Twitter: @apwldrio20