Weaving stories of change and leadership
Biannual Bulletin • July− December 2019
As indigenous women, we are weaving stories of change through collective actions on a global scale. As such, we are reinforcing the individual and collective rights of 238.4 million indige- nous women and girls —accounting for 6.2% of the world’s female population— to free our communities and organizations of all violence in a sustainable way.
In this 2019 Semiannual Bulletin: Weaving Stories of Change and Leadership, we share the work accomplished throughout the second semester of 2019 and present our initial actions for 2020. This is the year in which the IIWF celebrates its twentieth anniversary, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic whose effects are increasing the inequality gap for indigenous peoples and women.
Because capacity building is essential for leadership development, we are announcing, through the 6th edition of the Global Leadership School of Indigenous Women, the implementation of nine advocacy plans by different indigenous peoples across the world.
Furthermore, we will share a summary of two studies on Environmental Justice and Economic Autonomy that resulted from the participatory research processes implemented by the IIWF using an intercultural approach. These studies recognize the empowerment of Indigenous Women through their ancestral knowledge and wisdom.
Also in this bulletin, we provide a report on the co-investments made through the AYNI Fund by its partner organizations and donors, reflecting the spirit of solidarity and reciprocity that drive the efforts surrounding key issues for the empowerment of Indigenous Women, such as land and territory, climate change, interculturality and economic empowerment, among others.
Advocacy initiatives in international deci- sion-making spaces are key to ensuring the full exercise of our individual and collective rights. Here we report back on our participation in those spaces, including the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development; new spaces for action such asthe Annual UN Forum on Busi- ness and Human Rights (UNFBHR); and the UN Conference on Climate Change (COP25).
Finally, we report on the implementation of our global advocacy agenda, which began in 2019 and continues in 2020 in the mark of our 20th anniversary. The agenda is paving the way for the Second World Conference of Indigenous Women in 2021, a milestone in the area of individual and collective rights for Indigenous Women.
