Women’s Major Group Joint Statement on UNCTAD 14

We the undersigned feminist, women’s rights organizations and civil society groups committed to advancing women’s human rights attending the UNCTAD 14 in Nairobi, make this collective statement building on the collective civil society declaration.
Key Message: We are alarmed that the approach taken at UNCTAD 14 negotiations threatens to undermine the capacity of UNCTAD to support developing countries to build just, fair, equitable and sustainable economies capable of advancing women’s human rights. Women’s human rights are integrally linked to UNCTAD’s mandate. We cannot support mere references to gender equality without allowing UNCTAD to advance the work to address global macro-economic injustices. We strongly urge governments to support and strengthen UNCTAD’s mandate to advance global cooperation on: reviewing the human rights, gender equality and sustainable development impacts of bi-lateral, pluri-lateral and multi-lateral trade agreements; advancing application of the debt principles and addressing debt issues;  supporting global tax reform and cooperation including curbing illicit financial flows;  addressing trade mispricing and evasive corporate governance structures and promoting fair, equitable, gender responsive, rights based and transparent investment policies.
Gender Equality Language in the negotiating text: We are concerned that the revised draft outcome document does not adequately incorporate a commitment to advancing women’s human rights and gender equality. Click to Download/ Read Full Statement by Women Major Group on UNCTAD14