GI-ESCR made a submission to CEDAW's draft general recommendation on indigenous women and girls

GI-ESCR, in collaboration with ProDESC and Child Rights International Network (CRIN), has handed in a submission towards the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) which was calling civil society to input into their draft general recommendation on indigenous women and girls. The draft aims at strengthening indigenous women and girls’ human rights related to the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women.

GI-ESCR highlighted the importance of the green transition being guided by human rights to ensure that indigenous women and girls’ human rights are respected, protected and fulfilled within the transition, as recent policies and projects can cause displacement of populations to allow for mitigation projects, lack of participation by local communities in project planning and implementation, and failure to incorporate relevant social and environmental safeguards. Moreover, we suggested language around the commercialisation, commodification and financialisation of public services, land and natural resources as the commercialisation of public services often results in reduced access, disproportionately impacting on the rights of marginalised groups, including indigenous women and girls, and thereby increasing inequalities and segregation.

Already in July 2021, GI-ESCR has joined the Committee in its general discussion to launch the General Recommendation on indigenous women and girls through a joint submission which focused on the crucial importance of the effective participation, consultation, and consent of indigenous women and girls in climate change mitigation measures and strategies, and how failure to do so disproportionately affects their rights under the CEDAW Convention.