December 2023
Can India's G20 Presidency Offer Women Transformative Changes
By Bulan Lahiri

With the all-important G20 Leader’s Summit set to hold sway in New Delhi in four days, G20 sherpas are furiously parleying which specific agenda items will make their way into the Leader’s Declaration. This summit will be a litmus test for whether the world’s most influential economies are ready to walk the women’s empowerment talk which, for the first time in the G20’s history, the Indian presidency has foregrounded among the focal points of discussion and deliberations. Today’s BFW blog urges all stakeholders to carry their best bargaining chips to the G20’s main negotiating table and leverage this moment in the limelight to leapfrog women-led development from a set of aspirational goals to one of authentic transformation in their lived realities.

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December 2023
BRICS: Navigating Gender amidst Geopolitics, Expansionism, and De-dollarisation
By Nitika Singh
We're excited to announce our blog post that delves into the key issues at the BRICS SUMMIT IN 2023 from a gender perspective.
BRICS, representing Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, initially forged as an economic alliance, has expanded to other issues. Their influence stretches far beyond economic realms, significantly shaping global politics, development, and recovery in a post-COVID landscape. In this illuminating blog, BRICS Feminist Watch navigates the intricate relationship between gender issues and the BRICS alliance. As BRICS extends its reach, it's crucial to consider how gender dynamics intertwine with these shifts, reflecting a narrative of inclusivity and empowerment The blog is now live, make sure you check it out and share your thoughts!
15th BRICS Summit was held on August 22nd, 2023 in South Africa. BRICS Feminist Watch wants gender equality and women’s empowerment to be at the core of all BRICS discussion on multilaterialism, expansion, dedollarization etc.

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December 2021
Women and G20: Inclusion or Exclusion
By Priti Darooka & Kripa Basnyat

The publication focuses on how inclusive and supportive is the G20 to women's issues in its policy formulations and agendas. This paper broadly examines the G20 policy frameworks and Summit declarations and also critically looks at all other initiatives, tools and mechanisms within G20 and their role in advocating for women's rights and gender equality from a global South perspective. The aim of the paper is to capture key analysis of the feminist critiques around G20 and to take stock of how gender- inclusive G20 spaces are. This paper focuses on G20 spaces- whether they are open, transparent and inclusive for Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), especially for feminists and women leaders from the global South. What have been the shared observations and experiences of feminist engagements at these spaces, what are the collective recommendations and what is the way forward? The paper, in addition, captures the reflections and observations highlighted in the Online Seminar: Women included or excluded in G20: Implications on Gender Equality.

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December 2021
Engendering BRICS' South South Cooperation Agenda: Potential and Pitfalls
By Shubha Chacko
The Covid19 pandemic has underlined the need for international partnerships - across borders. South-South Cooperation – i.e partnerships that build on solidarity among developing countries, – is more important than ever to combat the current crisis and build back better. Adopting a gendered perspective to move forward to a safer, more equal, and greener future is crucial. This paper focuses on one actor - BRICS, its claims on being a vehicle for South-South Cooperation, and examines the gender dimensions of this commitment. The paper ends by sketching some possible ways forward.

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January 2021
BRICS and Civil Society: Gender Implications of this Chequered Relationship
By Shubha Chacko

The publication examines the contradictory relationship between civil society and the BRICS forum (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) by exploring the formal institutional space of Civil BRICS, as well as the space Civil Society has carved out for itself. BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India China, and South Africa) as a multilateral body has emerged at a point when there has been a reconfiguration of global power. While the primary aim of the forum was to strengthen cooperation among the States in international relations, over time it has expanded into varied areas of cooperation. This paper starts with a snapshot of the BRICS summits that have been held, moves on to offer an overview of BRICS approach to gender (For a detailed discussion on New Development Bank and Gender please see Taking it to the Bank: Gender Issues at the New Development Bank and Why NDB Needs A Gender Policy[1]). The paper then explores BRICS's relationship with civil society and ends with a few recommendations for BRICS and civil society.

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January 2021
International Financial Institutions and Using Country Systems: Implications for Gender Equality
The publication focuses on the use of country system – a practice that IFIs are adopting over the last two decades. The publication (link) draws on an online seminar on the topic and offers an overview of the “use of country systems” and brings together experiences from various countries

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January 2021
Financing in the Times of the Pandemic: Gender Implication of IFIs Support to India during the Covid-19 Pandemic
By Shubha Chacko

International Financial Institutions have, over the years, grown in terms of size and influence. They impact millions of lives around the world. Many organisations and movements have been engaging with them to make them more accountable and to people-centred. Feminists have been making some critically contributions in this area, and have offered insights and suggestions from a gender and sustainability viewpoint. The paper picks the support received by India from IFIs to deal with the fallout of the Covid19 pandemic and applies a gender lens to these IFI supported projects.

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January 2020
Intertwined: Women and Water. Towards a policy at the New Development Bank
By Priti Darooka and Shubha Chacko

In recent years, several countries have made huge investments in large scale water infrastructure. India, for example, has commited to build, repair and maintain water infrastructures, prioritising water-scarce areas such as the desert state of Rajasthan. Simultaneously globally ideas around water management have been rapidly changing. While initial policies concentrated on planning and designing for the physical provision of water, the emphasis has shifted to more integrated water resource management (IWRM) systems which factor in coordinated management processes. This translates to also considering land and water together, besides issues around rights, equity, and sustainability. The key principles of IWRM also recognises the central role of women in the provisioning, managing, and safeguarding of water. Several International Financial Institutions (IFIs) including the New Development Bank (NDB) have prioritised funding large infrastructure projects and have identified water as a key component of their strategy. The scarcity of water, like that of any other resource, poses the inevitable questions: who gets how much and at what cost? But there are deeper questions that also need to be addressed: who decides and how? PWESCR on behalf of BRICS Feminist Watch is happy to share this policy brief Intertwined: Women and Water. Towards a policy at the New Development Bank. The brief is developed from PWESCR’s work in gender monitoring of the NDB-funded water resource management project in Rajasthan, India – Rajasthan Water Sector Restructuring Project for Desert Area (RWSRPD). A gender analysis of NDB policy documents including Economic Social Framework (ESF) and of RWSRPD project documents and key observations from field visits to Rajasthan’s project sites have provided valuable insights.

Published by: PWESCR
No. of Pages: 5

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July 2019
AIIB's Winding Roads to Inequality: A Gender Case Study from Gujarat
By Priti Darooka and Sejal Dand
Mukhya Mantri Grameen Sadak Yojana (MMGSY) or the Chief Minister’s Rural Road Project in Gujarat in India was selected as a case study to critically assess inclusion of, and impact on, women and girls at all stages of the project. MMGSY is an Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) funded stand-alone project in India. The Gujarat Rural Roads Project, financed by the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), seeks to construct and upgrade rural roads to increase connectivity throughout the State. According to the project document, its aim is to provide all-weather rural roads to about 1060 villages in all of the state’s 33 districts, benefitting about 8 million people at an estimated cost of USD 1.5 billion. The project will be carried out in phases. Phase 1, currently being implemented, will involve an outlay of USD 658 million of which USD 329 is AIIB-funded.
PWESCR and BRICS Feminist Watch are happy to present this gender analysis report of the project which includes observations, findings and recommendations from the field with an overview of relevant Indian and Gujarat State laws and policies and an analysis of the gaps and track record of implementation.
Published by: PWESCR
Number of Pages: 19

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July 2019
Women and Green Economy: Engaging with New Development Bank By Govind Kelkar and Sudeshna Sengupta

PWESCR is happy to present BRICS Feminist Watch’s position paper, Women and the Green Economy: Engaging with New Development Bank.
The concept of Green Economy has been operationalized for the last 10 years. Politically, the concept became prevalent from the negotiation in Environmental Summit of 1992. Rio 20 became the platform where the idea of Green Economy started growing more prevalent. In a Green Economy, however, the Rights approach to development and gender equality has been missing. Growth in income and employment is to be driven by public and private investments that reduce carbon emissions and pollution, enhance energy and resource efficiency, and prevent the loss of biodiversity and ecosystem services. Pointing out the Global South concern on conceptualizing Green Economy in a recent webinar hosted by the BRICS Feminist Watch (BFW), Mariama Williams stated that some South feminists were not happy with this agenda as it might shift the focus from sustainable development, especially if the Green Economy only puts price tags on nature and was not concerned about human rights. Feminists are of the opinion that it is important that Green Economy should engage with political, social and environmental concerns and ensure adequate participation of women and recognize their contributions. Women are not to be looked at only as target beneficiaries impacted by the transition process to Green Economy. This position paper presents the progressive feminist position on incorporating Green Economy within the policy domain of National Development Bank (NDB). The paper starts by conventional conceptualizations of Green Economy and then moves to a feminist critique of these conceptualizations. Section 2 of the paper deals with gender equality or lack of it in BRICS countries followed by the agenda and advocacy by feminists and progressive civil society. Section 4 of the paper looks at the discourse between Green Economy and Sustainable Development followed by Section 5 which points out absence of women in these debates. Section 6 posits BFW’s overarching concerns on gender equality. The concluding Section 7 puts forward a series of considerations for NDB strategy and practice.

Published by: PWESCR
No. of Pages: 5

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March 2019
Gender Monitoring of New Development Bank Project: Major District Roads, Madhya Pradesh, India
Key Findings
The study was undertaken to monitor the New Development Bank (NDB) project namely: "Major District Road Construction Project" implemented by the Madhya Pradesh Road Development Corporation (MPRDC) with gender perspective. The study was conducted by Programme for Women's Economic Social and Cultural Rights (PWESCR) and BRICS Feminist Watch (BFW) in collaboration with Ekta Parishad in two districts namely: Sagar, and Ashok Nagar in Madhya Pradesh. The road construction project of NDB is aimed at up-gradation and widening of major district roads. The implementing agency i.e. MPRDC categorized the road construction project in to 24 packages with 64 roads in the state. Many facts were observed, reported and discussed with the villagers (both male and female), labour engaged in construction sites, farmers, contractors, sub-contractors, engineers, MPRDC consultant during the field visits by the research team. Many glaring problems emerged during the interviews and discussions. PWESCR and BRICS Feminist Watch are happy to present this gender analysis report that captures the key findings from the study.
Published by: PWESCR
Number of Pages: 16

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November 2017
Why The New Development Bank Should Have a Gender Policy

BRICS Feminist Watch is happy to share this policy brief: Why the New Development Bank Needs to Have a Gender Policy?
At the core of the New Development Bank’s (NDB) Environmental & Social Framework lies a commitment to gender equality for sustainable and successful economic development; however, despite this affirmation, gender-sensitive planning and gendered policies are lacking from both the NDB’s General Strategy (2017-2021) and several key aspects of its structure and operations. The bank has also failed to define gender equality or its associative objectives.
Women currently comprise the majority of the world’s poor and occupy a large percentage of populations, chiefly agricultural, that will be affected by NDB projects. Gender-blind policies will bear negatively on the ultimate success and sustainability of NDB development projects. Furthermore, the omission of gender considerations from development planning will not only pose serious risks to the health, safety, and livelihoods of women and girls across the globe, it also undermines the significance of women’s rights as an essential development objective. Women hold potential as engines of economic growth and powerful agents of development and thus are integral elements to the efficacy of any sustainable development planning. It is thus imperative for the NDB to integrate a pro-poor, pro-women focus to their development planning.
The BRICS Feminist Watches offers three recommendations to the Bank: first, to constitute an external, multi-stakeholder gender advisory committee; second, to develop a comprehensive and mandatory gender policy guiding all NDB structures and operations; finally, to establish a gender unit within the NDB, comprised of feminist experts to advance these objectives.
The policy brief is authored by Govind Kelkar, Priti Darooka, Divita Shangilya and Rebecca Perkins. We are also grateful to Elaine Zuckerman and Marisa Viana for their comments and Preeti Shekhar and Lauren Toccalino for editing it.

For more information please visit www.bricsfeministwatch.org

Published by: PWESCR
No. of Pages: 8

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July 2017
Taking it to the Bank: Gender Issues at the New Development Bank.
by Shubha Chacko
BRICS is a hot topic today. It is the new "kid" or the next big thing in global governance and in macro economics today. The Fortaleza BRICS Summit 2014 saw the announcement of the setting up of a multilateral development bank which would enable lending exclusively by the BRICS states. The New Development Bank (NDB) is one of the youngest Multilateral Development Bank and is significant player because it seen as heralding a challenge to the more powerful actors in the field. One of the NDB's key areas of focus is "sustainable development" is also in line with the universal commitment made to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, adopted by the United Nations (UN) General Assembly in September 2015. As the NDB moves to becoming more institutionalized, its sphere of influence is also growing considerably.
These new developments and negotiations point to the need for the feminist agenda to clearly draw up a South perspective for their analysis and perspective. Formed in 2016, the BRICS Feminist Watch (the Watch) is a feminist alliance from BRICS countries that brings the collective strength of feminist analysis and activism to promote gender responsive inclusive economic development. Since its formation, the Watch has been part of meetings in Brazil and in India with NDB representatives.
PWESCR undertook this research on behalf of BRICS Feminist Watch. To bring a feminist analysis to multilateral banks and to larger issues of development finance continues to be a challenge. I hope this paper contributes to our ongoing struggles to strive for gender justice within these new structures and institutions.
Published by: PWESCR
Number of Pages: 32

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August 2015
GARIMA
Training Manual on Women's Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
This training manual (in Hindi) is meant for trainers interested in conducting women's Economic, Social and Cultural Rights training in the community level. It focuses on human rights and provides issue-based explorations on poverty, vulnerability, marginalisation, and discrimination from a gender perspective. Gender, patriarchy and feminism,feminisation of poverty, dignity, the key principles and procedures of human rights such as equality, non-discrimination, and state obligation are some of the themes covered in the manual. The manual has been designed in a user-friendly and interactive way. With its various activities and icebreakers described in a simple language, trainers can easily train others and adopt various methodologies to make their sessions vibrant. The approach adopted provides for experiential sharing and learning from each other.
Published by: PWESCR
No. of Pages: 106

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August 2015
Human Rights for All
International Covenant on Economic, Social And Cultural Rights
A Handbook
This Handbook is mainly for human rights practitioners who want to familiarise themselves with the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) and use the human rights framework in their on-going work. There is a critical need to build capacity, develop leadership, promote a gender analysis for Economic, Social and Cultural Rights ( ESCR) advocates and create tools to raise awareness of women's ESCR. The handbook consists of information connected to ESCR including the detailed covenant, enforcement mechanisms, state obligations and useful ESCR resources.
Published by: PWESCR
Number of Pages: 4

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July 2015
Financing for Development: Addis Ababa and Beyond
Feminist Perspective from the Global South
The publication is set in the context of preparatory debates on the Financing for Development (FfD), which have extensively highlighted the growing relevance of non-ODA financing modalities as mechanisms to address the post-2015 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). As the Third International Conference on FfD in Addis Ababa is to address the drawbacks of the MDG framework and get United Nations member states to negotiate a political agreement on how to finance development for the post-2015 development agenda, the paper argues that the global negotiations on financing policies to address poverty reduction, social inequalities, sustainable infrastructure and climate change should look at the development challenges in a holistic manner. Stating FfD as a feminist issue, the brief argues that for financing to be effective in reducing poverty and delivering sustainable development, it needs to benefit women and men equally and contribute to empowering women and building equitable societies. The gendered division of labour, particularly unpaid work and gender-based labour market segregation, is not addressed properly in current discussions on FfD. As women carry the burden of poverty in and out of the households in the whole of global South, FfD needs to take women onboard in order to achieve financial development for the household, community, country and eventually, the entire region. The reach and efficiency of human rights instruments are limited by the non-scrutiny and unaccountability of various actors involved in larger macroeconomic policy decisions. A strong regulatory mechanism at country levels should be created to build institutional capacities to deal with private sector investments which violate human rights. All monitoring and regulatory mechanisms must be designed and implemented from a South perspective, fully adhering to the development realities of South. South governments should not be forced to work on the monitoring guidelines and frameworks developed by the North.
Published by: PWESCR
No. of Pages: 4

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May 2015
Women’s Work Counts
Feminist Arguments for Human Rights at Work
The feminist and human rights approaches discussed in this paper advocate a radical rethinking of work that begins with women’s experience of work in their lives. The paper calls upon the need for identification of assumptions and values that are not respectful or sensitive to women’s experience and needs of work, the examination of gender biases and inequalities that are present in institutions, structures, and actors that are critical to the operationalisation and achievement of rights, the dismantling of the apparatus that supports the gender unequal/discriminatory operationalisation of the rights including policies, institutions, systems and structures and practices that propagate these inequality. It brings to the fore critical issues that need to be addressed by the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR) in order for the achievement of substantive equality and realisation of women’s right to work and their right to just and favourable conditions of work.
Written by: Radhika Desai
Number of Pages: 38

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February 2015
The African Regional Human Rights System
The publication narrates the origins of the African regional human rights mechanisms. It elaborates the normative framework and rights recognised in the regional human rights treaties in the region. It also focuses on how to use these monitoring and enforcement mechanisms and some of the challenges faced in doing so. This is a learning tool for human rights defenders, and especially trainers from the region interested in conducting training on human rights. With a focus also on civil society engagement in the regional human rights mechanisms, the publication provides useful insights at a practical level. The publication will enhance your knowledge on African regional human rights mechanisms.
Written by: Getahun Atey Kassa
Number of Pages: 26

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January 2015
Women, Seeds and the Right to Food for All
The paper discusses the need for recognising women as food producers. Women should be at the centre of any food security strategy as it is the most cost-effective measure to reduce hunger and malnutrition for all. Seed policies should recognise women's role in seed systems and should balance the need for innovation for preservation and enhancement of crop diversity. Failure to recognise their role will result in misguided policies and programmes with higher levels of poverty and food and nutrition insecurity.
Published by: PWESCR
Number of Pages: 4

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December 2014
Women’s Livelihoods: Emerging Opportunities in Forest Economies of India This study looks at whether things have changed for women living in the forests of Jharkhand and Assam. It tries to map the relationship between the policy framework of the government for forest regions and its practical applicability. As an outcome of rigorous field research in the remote villages of the two states, the study reiterates that the role of women as economic agents and their contribution to the Gross National Product through agro forestry and by collecting a variety of non-timber forest produce deserve to be recognised in future policy framing exercises.
Written by: Uma Ramaswamy
Number of Pages: 58

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November 2013
Women and Social Security and Protection in India
National Conference
May 6 – 7, 2013
A Report
Written by Anupma Mehta
Number of Pages: 36

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September 2012
New perspective on NGO reporting to the
UN Committee on Economic,Social
and Cultural Rights: Challenges and Opportunities
by Rukmini Dutta
Authored by: PWESCR
Number of Pages: 8

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November 2011
Dignity & Human Rights – The Missing Dialogue?
Report of a Meeting at The Rockefeller Foundation Bellagio Center, Bellagio, Italy
April 7-10, 2009
Authored by: Barbara Y. Phillip
Number of Pages: 68

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3 July 2011
Locating Women’s
Livelihoods in the
Human Rights
Framework
Authored by: PWESCR
Number of Pages: 12

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30 March, 2010, Chennai, India
Women's Productive Resources
Realising the Right to Food for All
A Roundtable with the UN Special Rapporteur
on the Right to Food
Authored by: PWESCR
Number of Pages: 85

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July 2011
Meet the Leaders
Leadership Institute in Women's
Economic Social & Cultural Rights
Authored by: PWESCR
Number of Pages: 60

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August 22-23, New Delhi, India
Global Financial and Economic Crises and its impact on Women
Authored by: PWESCR
Number of Pages: 66

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July 2010
Women and Livelihoods
Authored by: PWESCR
Number of Pages: 32

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July 2010
Behind the Scenes Action: Learning from a Collective Process
Authored by: PWESCR
Number of Pages: 35

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Jan 2009
Our Land, Our Water, Our Forests, Our Identity - Our Livelihoods
Authored by: PWESCR
Number of Pages: 1

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Jan 2009
Our Livelihoods are Our Human Rights
Authored by: PWESCR
Number of Pages: 1

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Jan 2009
Uprooted Lives - Livelihoods Destroyed
Authored by: PWESCR
Number of Pages: 1

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Jan 2009
Our Dignity - Our Livelihoods
Authored by: PWESCR
Number of Pages: 1

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Jan 2009
Livelihood are every Women’s Human Rights
Authored by: PWESCR
Number of Pages: 2
Size of report: 10.1 X 14.2 inches
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Concept Paper
The Genesis, The Motivation and The Conceptual Framework

Authored by: PWESCR

Number of Pages: 4
Size of report: 8.5 X 11.0 inches
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June 2008
Fact Finding Mission Report 1
Dalit Women in Rajasthan
Status of Economic, Social & Cultural Rights
Authored by: PWESCR
Number of Pages: 50
Size of report: 8.5 X 11.0 inches

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April 2008
”Social Security- A Women Human Right” by Priti Darooka

Authored by: PWESCR

Number of Pages: 20
Size of report: 8.5 X 11.0 inches
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April 2008
Divided Destinies Unequal Lives – Economic Social and Cultural Rights and Indian State”
NGO report to The United Nations Committee on Economic Social and Cultural Rights

Authored by:People Collectives for Economic, Social and Cultural Rights

Number of Pages: 111
Size of report: 8.5 X 11.0 inches
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March 07
Month Year Thoughts on Dignity, by Barbara Y. Phillips
A concept note on Dignity

Authored by:PWESCR

Number of Pages: 8
Size of report: 8.5 X 11.0 inches
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Jan 2007
“I work without Rights” Picture Card

Authored by: PWESCR

Number of Pages: 1
Size of report: 8.5 X 11.0 inches
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October 2007
”Women & Social Security” Booklet
A premier on negotiation social security for women

Authored by:PWESCR

Number of Pages: 16
Size of report: 5.5 X 8.5 inches
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Jan 2007
Crossing Boundaries, Women and Economic Social and Cultural Rights
Status of Economic, Social & Cultural Rights
Authored by: PWESCR
Number of Pages: 36
Size of report: 8.5 X 11.0 inches

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