AWID Forum: Co-creating Feminist Futures
In September 2016, the 13th AWID international Forum brought together in Brazil over 1800 feminists and women’s rights advocates in a spirit of resistance and resilience.
This section highlights the gains, learnings and resources that came out of our rich conversations. We invite you to explore, share and comment!
What has happened since 2016?
One of the key takeaways from the 2016 Forum was the need to broaden and deepen our cross-movement work to address rising fascisms, fundamentalisms, corporate greed and climate change.
With this in mind, we have been working with multiple allies to grow these seeds of resistance:
- Our Seed Initiatives, has helped 20 ideas that emerged at the Forum to grow into concrete actions
- The video “Defending people and planet” and guide “Weaving resistance through action” put courageous WHRDs in the spotlight and present concrete strategies they use to confront corporate power.
- With our animations about the State of Our Feminist Movements and Climate and Environmental Justice, movements now have creative tools to support their advocacy work.
- The compiling artistic expressions of our #MovementsMatter series continues to inspire stronger and more creative organizing around the world.
- Movements can also benefit from new methodologies on Visioning Feminist Futures (Coming up soon!)
And through our next strategic plan and Forum process, we are committed to keep developing ideas and deepen the learnings ignited at the 2016 Forum.
What happens now?
The next AWID Forum will take place in the Asia Pacific region (exact location and dates to be announced in 2018).
We look forward to you joining us!
About the AWID Forum
AWID Forums started in 1983, in Washington DC. Since then, the event has grown to become many things to many peoples: an iterative process of sharpening our analyses, vision and actions; a watershed moment that reinvigorates participants’ feminisms and energizes their organizing; and a political home for women human rights defenders to find sanctuary and solidarity.
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Expected Resolutions Relevant to Gender and Sexuality
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The rights of the child (EU & GRULAC)
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Birth registration and the right of all to recognition as a person before the law (Mexico, Turkiye)
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Adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living and the right to non-discrimination in this context (Germany, Finland)
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Negative impact of unilateral coercive measures on the enjoyment of human rights (Non-Aligned Movement)
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Effects of foreign debt and other international financial obligations on the enjoyment of human rights (mandate renewal) (Cuba)
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Rights of persons with disabilities, digital technologies, and inclusive disability infrastructure (Mexico, New Zealand)
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Rights of the child (focus: Children in armed conflict) (Uruguay on behalf of a group of States from Latin America and the Caribbean and European Union)
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Right to work (Egypt, Greece)
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Right to food (Cuba)
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Promotion of the enjoyment of cultural rights of all and respect for cultural diversity (Cuba)
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Human rights situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem and the obligation to ensure accountability and justice (Organisation of Islamic Cooperation)
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Right of the Palestinian people to self-determination (Organisation of Islamic Cooperation)
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Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem and in the occupied Syrian Golan (Organisation of Islamic Cooperation)
Funding Ideas
This page provides ideas and inspiration for how you can fund your participation at the 14th AWID International Forum.
As you plan the activity you would like to do at the Forum, please also consider how you will fund your participation. Typical Costs include: accommodation, travel, visa, forum registration fees, etc.
It is important to note that this Forum will have many ‘open spaces’ and moments for movements to learn and exchange, but fewer formal sessions. (See “Ways to describe the Forum in your fundraising” below for language to use in your outreach.)
Work with your current funders:
Reach out to your current donors first : Your best option is always a current funder that you have.
Make sure to do it in advance : We recommend contacting them by early 2020 at the latest. Many funders who support feminist organizations have some budget allocated for Forum travel. Others may be able to include it in renewal grants or through other travel funds.
If your group has funders, tell them that you want to attend the AWID Forum to learn, experience, exchange and network- even if your activity does not get selected for the final program. In order to be able to support your participation, your donors will need to know about it well in advance so tell them right away! (they are already deciding which funds they will distribute in 2020).
Seeking new funders:
If you do not currently have donor support or are not able to secure grants for Forum travel, consider reaching out to new donors.
- You can see ideas of specific funders at AWID’s portal ‘Who can fund my women’s rights organizing?’
- Consider reaching out to national, regional, or global feminist and women’s funds
- Explore funder networks, such as Candid and European Foundation Centres, for lists of funders and opportunities in your region
Deadlines and requirements vary by funder, and a grant review process can take many months. If you’re considering applying for new grants, do so as soon as possible.
Creative inspiration:
Feminist movements have long gotten creative with funding our own activism. Here are some ideas that we have gathered to inspire alternative ways of fundraising:
- Mobilize your community to support participation: fundraise with small contributions from members through community dinners, dance parties, and local shows, events and tours
- Mobilize your networks by organizing giving circles and crowdsourcing using various online tools like gofundme, indiegogo, plumfund, or kickstarter
- Cultivate local sources of income, including from individual donors and membership dues
- Consider co-funding through strategic partnerships with other community and social justice groups.
For more inspiration, see AWID’s ongoing series on autonomous resourcing, including specific ideas for conference raising participation funds.
Access Fund:
AWID strives to make the Forum a truly global gathering with participation from diverse movements, regions and generations. To this end, AWID mobilizes resources for a limited Access Fund (AF) to assist Forum participants with the costs of attending the Forum.
AWID’s Access Fund will provide support to a limited number of Forum participants and session/activity facilitators. You can indicate in your application if you would like to apply to the AWID Access Fund. This is not guaranteed, and we strongly encourage you to seek alternative funding for your participation and travel to the Forum.
Even if you apply for the AWID Access Fund, we encourage you to continue to explore other options to fund your participation in the Forum. Access Fund decisions will be confirmed by the end of June 2020. Please remember that these resources are very limited, and we will be unable to support all applicants.
Ways to describe the Forum in your fundraising:
As you reach out to funders or your own networks, here is some sample messaging that may be helpful. Feel free to adapt it in whatever way is useful for you!
The AWID Forum is a co-created feminist movement space that energizes participants in their own activism, and strengthens connections with others across multiple rights and justice movements. Participants get to draw from wells of hope, energy and radical imagination, as well as deepen shared analysis, learning, and build cross-movement solidarity to develop more integrated agendas and advance joint strategies.
Our organization is seeking funds to attend the Forum in order to connect with other activists and movements from around the world, strengthen our strategies, and share our work. We are inspired by past participants, who have described the power of this global feminist gathering:
“Over four days … voices weaved together into a global perspective on the state of gender equality. And when I say global, I mean simultaneous translation into seven languages kind of global ....”
“It was reminding us that we are not alone. The Forum provided a means of translating collectivity into our movements. Whether across ideologies, identities or borders, our strength is in our vision and our support of one another.”
It is important to note that this Forum will have many ‘open spaces’ and moments for movements to learn and exchange, but fewer formal sessions. While many attendees will not be presenting in formal sessions, there will be invaluable space to learn, strategize, and experience feminist movements’ collective power in action.
Budget considerations:
When calculating your costs and how much you need to raise, it is important to factor in costs that may come up. Here’s an example of key items to consider:
- Airfare
- Forum registration fees (please note that even if you are granted Access Funds by AWID, you will have to cover your registration fee yourself)
- Visa costs
- Travel health insurance
- Local travel to and from the airport (taxis or other transportation)
- Layover costs, such as hotels and meals if your plane travel requires a long layover
- Accommodation, including giving yourself a day to recover on either end if you have traveled far
- Technology, including WiFi access or fees for international communication as needed during travel (AWID will provide WiFi during the Forum)
- Materials costs for any items (visuals, reports, artwork!) you want to bring, share, or exchange at the Forum
- Incidentals and/or per diems to cover food and other items that come up (all lunches and coffee/tea breaks, plus one dinner will be provided by AWID during Forum days)
- Accessibility, such as any additional support that may be important to make your travel more comfortable, safe, and secure
We look forward to seeing you at the Forum!
The Forum is a collaborative process
The AWID Forum will now take place 11-14 January 2021 in Taipei .
It is more than a four-day convening. It is one more stop on a movement strengthening journey around Feminist Realities that has already begun and will continue well beyond the Forum dates.
Join Us
Join Us
By joining AWID, you are becoming part of worldwide feminist organizing, a collective power that is rooted in working across movements and is based on solidarity.
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Fonds d’accès du Forum de l’AWID
Nous aspirons à faire du Forum de l’AWID un réel rassemblement mondial, où participeront une gamme diverse de mouvements, de régions et de générations. Dans ce but, l’AWID mobilise des ressources pour un Fonds d’accès limité, qui soutiendra les coûts liés à la participation de certaines personnes au Forum.
Le 14ème Forum international de l’AWID se tiendra du 11 au 14 janvier 2020 à Taipei, à Taïwan.
Comment seront alloués les fonds ?
Pour ce Forum de l’AWID, il n’y aura pas de processus de candidature.
Les subventions du Fonds d’accès seront allouées par invitation uniquement, à :
- Deux personnes par activité sélectionnée pour le programme du Forum (choisies par les organisations, groupes ou individus en charge de l’activité)
- Des participant·e·s identifié·e·s comme appartenant aux Groupes cibles prioritaires du Forum et recommandé·e·s par les organisations, les réseaux et les groupes qui co-créent le Forum avec l’AWID. Ces groupes cibles sont ceux que nous considérons comme renforçant le pouvoir collectif de nos mouvements, ceux qui ne se concentrent pas sur les mouvements féministes conventionnels, et ceux dont nous aimerions honorer, célébrer et mettre en lumière les Réalités féministes. Ces groupes comprennent les :
- Féministes noires
- Féministes autochtones
- Féministes trans, non conformes de genre et intersexes
- Féministes porteuses de handicap
- Féministes travailleurs·ses du sexe et travailleurs·ses informel·le·s, dont les personnes migrantes
- Féministes touchées par la migration
- Femmes touchées par les politiques antidrogues
- Féministes des régions où aura lieu le Forum (particulièrement du Pacifique et de la Chine continentale)

En supplément, l’AWID financera la participation d’environ 100 personnes de la région d’accueil du Forum. Les membres des comités du Forum (Contenu et méthodologie, Accès et Accueil) ainsi que les membres du Groupe de travail des artistes recevront aussi un soutien du Fonds d'accès.
Que couvre le Fonds d’accès ?
Pour les participant·e·s sélectionné·e·s, le Fonds d’accès couvrira les coûts liés à leur :
- Vol
- Hébergement
- Visa
- Transport local à Taipei
- Assurance médicale pour le voyage
Le Fonds d’accès ne couvrira PAS leur :
- Frais d’inscription au Forum
- Transports depuis et jusqu’à l’aéroport de leur ville de départ
- Autres coûts additionnels
En dehors du Fonds d’accès, comment pourrais-je financer ma participation au Forum ?
Nous avons listé d’autres options pour financer votre participation au Forum de l’AWID sur cette page qui contient des idées de financement.
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