Feminists Holding the Line: Defending Rights, Democracy, and Climate Justice

Event report

On 2 April 2025, we hosted the side event “Feminists Holding the Line: Defending Rights, Democracy, and Climate Justice in the Face of Anti-rights Backlash in the UNECE Region” at the UNECE Regional Forum on Sustainable Development.

Co-organised by Women’s Major Group, Women Engage for a Common Future (WECF), Holding the Line, LGBTI Stakeholder Group, Feminist Diplomacy Lab, WomenPower2030 (funded by European Union), UNFPA Eastern Europe and Central Asia, UN Women Europe and Central Asia, the event created an important space for reflection and strategy-building in a time of growing threats.

Our current context

The far-right, anti-gender, and anti-rights movements across the UNECE region are intensifying, threatening the fundamental rights and freedoms many have fought for over decades. From the United States’ rejection of the 2030 Agenda and gender equality commitments, to the European Union’s withdrawal of the Equal Treatment Directive, to the spread of Foreign Agent Laws in Hungary, Georgia, and beyond, the civic space for feminist and queer activism is being deliberately constrained.

Alongside political backlash, significant funding cuts from major donors including the US, Netherlands, Sweden, and the UK are severely impacting the ability of feminist and queer organisations to sustain their work. At the same time, the so-called green transition is often replicating extractive and colonial dynamics, further marginalising vulnerable communities, especially in the Global South.

The urgent need for collective action, solidarity, and new strategies could not be clearer.

Key discussion points

Moderated by Valentina Bodrug-Lungu (Gender-Centru Moldova and Women’s Major Group Organising Partner for UNECE) and Hanna Gunnarsson (Women Engage for a Common Future, Holding the Line, ECE-RCEM Governing Body), the discussion brought together activists, researchers, and experts to unpack the historical roots of today’s challenges and share ideas for resistance and transformation.

Speakers highlighted

The coordinated rise of anti-rights movements combining anti-gender, racism, and climate denialism narratives (Aïda Yancy)
The deep links between fossil capitalism, colonialism, and far-right ideologies (Martin Hultman)
The power of solidarity-based coalitions and the importance of grassroots leadership (Mariam Topchishvili)
The role of language and culture in resisting colonial legacies (Marsel Ganeyev)
The importance of international human rights mechanisms and fostering inclusive civic spaces (Gabriela Alvarez Minte)
The need to deconstruct patriarchal structures and cultivate new systems based on care, sustainability, and interdependence (Vidar Vetterfalk)