Huairou Commission Beijing+25: Recognizing 25 Years of the Growth of a Global Grassroots Women’s Movement

On May 6th 2020, seventy-five Huairou Commission members, partners, and staff gathered virtually on the Zoom platform to launch the anniversary initiative, “Huairou Commission Beijing+25: Recognizing 25 Years of the Growth of a Global Grassroots Women’s Movement”.

The atmosphere, though physically distanced, was palpably eager as both Violet Shivutse, global chair, and Jan Peterson, honorary president, enthusiastically called for questions and feedback on the proposed plan. There are three main parts of the initiative – background history, reflection engagement, and results and celebration which are aimed at taking stock of what HC has done, celebrating the tremendous efforts of grassroots leaders and looking forward to where we are headed. The reflection series being developed will occur over the next 5-6 months.

Many members on the call were quick to offer support and suggestions which reflected the contexts in which their work is ongoing, particularly during the COVID-19 crisis. Sangeetha Purushothaman of the Best Practices Foundation, India brought up the theme of livelihoods while Nereide Segala Cohelo Rede Pintadas, Salvador de Bahia, Brazil, suggested food security as a topic to be discussed.

Thus far, seventy organizations have completed a member survey showcasing the growth of their leaders and organizations as well as the power created by collaborating within the Huairou Commission. The anniversary initiative is bringing together Huairou’s members to analyze and weigh their own successes and challenges, to find out what has really made a difference in their work and what continues to hold them back. In all, the anniversary process will include stocktaking, a series of reflections and a paper on the growth of grassroots women’s movement facilitated by the Huairou Commission and its contributions to shaping the global development agendas.

The initiative will culminate in 2021 with a celebratory event planned parallel to the Beijing +25 conference, though Violet Shivutse was quick to encourage all to begin celebrating now and not wait for a formal invitation which we never have before.

Despite the suspension of the UN’s 64th Commission on the Status of Women (CSW64 / Beijing+25) and the uncertainty surrounding when and in what form it will resume, Huairou will be appreciating and celebrating how far we’ve come together in the twenty-five years since the Beijing declaration and Huairou’s founding.

Look out for more updates soon!