Holding the Line at Beijing+30: Feminist Resistance in the Face of Backlash

Geneva, UNECE Beijing+30 Regional Review

As we mark 30 years since the adoption of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, feminist movements in the UNECE region are confronting a sobering reality: the same rights we’ve fought for over decades are under threat once again.

At the Beijing+30 Regional Review in Geneva, the Holding the Line: Feminist Action for Freedom and Rights side event created a space to name these threats—and organise against them. With civil society under siege, funding slashed, and anti-rights actors emboldened, the message was clear: we cannot and will not cede ground. We are holding the line, together.

A tale of two realities

Opening the event, Emilia Saiz (Co-Chair, Generation Equality Action Coalition on Feminist Movements and Leadership) described our political moment as a “tale of two cities.” In one, feminist wins are celebrated. In the other, rights are rolled back, civic space is shrinking, and backlash has gone mainstream. The feminist movement, she insisted, must build intersectional, community-rooted partnerships to resist these tides. “Our agenda is for everyone,” she affirmed.

Grounded in lived realities

Through vivid testimonies, speakers highlighted the resilience and resistance of feminists organising in the most repressive contexts—from Turkey and Georgia to Gaza, Canada, and Central Asia. The session centred three of Beijing’s critical areas:

• Human rights of women and girls in all their diversity
• Violence against women and girls
• Women and girls in power and decision-making

Each panelist brought the conversation back to the people and movements most impacted by anti-gender violence and authoritarian politics.

Vera Rodriguez (European Sex Workers Rights Alliance) challenged us to see sex workers’ rights as feminist rights, calling out the violence of punitive laws masquerading as protection.

İlayda Eskitaşçıoğlu, a Turkish menstrual justice activist, called for bold youth participation, while amplifying the resilience of movements organising under siege.

Aïda Yancy (EL*C) spotlighted lesbophobic violence and state erasure—reminding us that visibility can mean vulnerability, especially for queer women and non-binary people.

Joy Namulondo (Youth Coalition for SRHR) spoke of rising right-wing influence in Canada and the ableist exclusions baked into policy debates.

Ana Muradashvili (WECF Georgia) brought powerful testimony from a country where hard-won gender quotas were recently repealed. Her call was unequivocal: we must rebuild feminist leadership from the ground up.

Building power across borders

The session didn’t just diagnose problems — it offered strategies. In a rich dialogue, participants shared stories of solidarity, cross-regional resistance, and sustained movement building.

One core message rang loud and clear: intersectional feminist organising is the most effective antidote to authoritarianism. Whether in Western Europe or Central Asia, we must be willing to step into discomfort, challenge extractivist economies, and resist militarised governance. We must move beyond symbolic inclusion and commit to deep, shared ownership of our collective feminist futures.

Key calls to action

The session concluded with strong, unapologetic recommendations:

• Fund feminist movements — fully and flexibly. Core, long-term, accessible funding is non-negotiable.
• Make intersectionality real. Sex workers, trans people, Indigenous women, people with disabilities, migrants, and rural communities must be at the heart of decision-making.
• Break the silence on migration and border violence. Feminist agendas must integrate racial and gender justice at the border.
• Move beyond symbolic partnerships. Real change demands co-creation with feminist civil society — not consultation, but collaboration.
• Confront the anti-rights backlash head-on. This means confronting not only far-right ideologies but the systems — capitalism, colonialism, militarism — that uphold them.

This is not the end

As Bruna Martinez (Young Feminist Europe) and Jeevika Shiv (UN Women) reminded us: this was not a one-off conversation. Holding the Line is an ongoing practice—a political, strategic, and emotional commitment to stand together when the winds turn against us.

Our movements are being tested. But our solidarity is stronger. As feminists across generations, geographies, and identities, we will continue to hold the line—and push it forward.

We are not giving up. We are not giving in. We are holding the line—together.

Donors

This event was co-funded by WomenPower 2030, which is funded by the EU. The contents of the report and event is the views of the organisers and should not be interpreted to represent the views of the EU.