Voices of Resilience from the Frontlines: Advancing Efforts to End Violence against Women and Girls in the Context of Backlash

On 25 June 2025, during the 59th Session of the Human Rights Council, the UN Trust Fund to End Violence against Women (UN Trust Fund), the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), and UN Women co-hosted a side event titled “Voices of Resilience from the Frontlines: Advancing Efforts to End Violence against Women and Girls in the Context of Backlash.” The event, which welcomed over 90 participants, convened feminist leaders, UN officials, and Member State representatives to highlight the escalating backlash against women’s rights organizations (WROs) and civil society, and discuss how these actors are adapting, resisting, and advancing their mission to end violence against women and girls (VAWG) despite mounting challenges. 

After welcoming remarks from Adriana Quinones, Head of Human Rights and Development at UN Women Geneva, the event opened with a powerful framing by Tanya Ghani, Deputy Chief of the UN Trust Fund. She presented a stark overview of the escalating backlash faced by grantee partners worldwide, highlighting a key finding from the Beyond Backlash report: in 2024, 70% of UN Trust Fund grantee partners experienced some form of backlash. 

A panel discussion followed, moderated by Stefania Tripodi, Human Rights Officer at OHCHR, featuring three grantee partners sharing how backlash is affecting their work and how they are pushing forward. 

Adriana Maria Benjumea Rúa, Director of Corporación Humanas (Colombia) described escalating backlash and resistance in the Latin America region: from restrictions and repressive policies to funding cuts. She called for emergency funding, including for the protection of women human rights defenders and those at risk from femicide and stronger cross-movement solidarity: “We, feminist movements, need to come together in response.” 

Veprore Shehu, Executive Director of Medica Kosova (Kosovo*) highlighted the risks that survivors of conflict-related violence are facing – warning that dwindling official recognition conveys the message that survivors’ stories do not matter. Medica Kosova has been prioritizing community-based education to counter the growing backlash, challenge stigma and shift narratives around survivors. She said: ”The world is becoming more unstable. Across the region, we see growing insecurity and threats, which are retraumatizing many survivors.”  

Hala Al-Karib, Regional Director of SIHA, spoke about the critical role of frontline WROs in the Horn of Africa, who continue delivering life-saving services while facing political instability, shrinking support, and threats to their own safety. She shared: ”Women at the frontline are saving lives, and that’s the reality. Nobody talks about our work and our interventions - they are often concealed, undermined and not acknowledged. They are taken for granted.” She called for greater investment in new generations of grassroots activists and in building local capacities to document violence and sustain movements. 

The event concluded with an open discussion, followed by closing reflections from Stefania Tripodi, who reaffirmed the urgent need to defend civic space, increase core funding for WROs, and ensure their meaningful inclusion. 

As a concrete step forward, she announced the upcoming UN Trust Fund’s “Beyond Backlash” Call for Proposals, later this year, which will fund long-term interventions to end violence against women and girls, with a focus on organizational resilience, security, feminist leadership, and coordinated responses to disinformation and shrinking civic space. 

*UN Administered Territory under UN Security Council Resolution 1244