About Us

BRICS Feminist Watch is an alliance of feminists from emerging economies that brings the collective strength of feminist analysis and activism to promote gender responsive and inclusive economic development across the global South.

About Us

BRICS Feminist Watch is an alliance of feminists from emerging economies that brings the collective strength of feminist analysis and activism to promote gender responsive and inclusive economic development across the global South.

Why BFW?

BRICS Feminist Watch (BFW) is a global South alliance that began from emerging economies and soon expanded across the South with few members in the global North. Formed in 2017, BFW brings the collective strength of feminist analysis and activism from the South to promote gender‐responsive, inclusive, and sustainable development and to make visible the linkages between gender justice, environmental and economic justice as critical to sustain movements and actions. BFW has established itself as an important gendered voice from the South, as a network of feminist scholars, researchers, and activists from the global South whose mission is to work for economic and gender justice as well as sustainable and democratic development. It works to influence policy cross‐regionally in the context of development and global governance.

Our Values

We at the BRICS Feminist Watch, believe in equality for all in developing a vision and alternate model that is non-discriminatory. We value gender equality as we strive to make connections with women’s struggles being waged in the global South by engaging discussions around them.

Our Vision

To work towards advancing gender equality in development and make the linkages visible between gender justice, environmental and economic justice by addressing gender issues at international financial institutions and work towards the integration of a feminist agenda in global governance and policies to advocate for gender equality in the political economy and development paradigm.

Our History

Formed in 2017, the BRICS Feminist Watch (BFW) is a feminist alliance from the global South that brings the collective strength of feminist analysis and activism to promote gender responsive and inclusive economic development. The BRICS forum emerged as a voice from the global South, with a vision for a more just, democratic, and equal world. The integration of a feminist agenda in global governance, policies and institutions is vital to achieving these goals. Therefore, we engage with Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) and New Development Bank (NDB) to advocate for gender equality in the political economy and development paradigm. The NDB has welcomed BFW recommendations on potential action for the NDB to enhance transparency, accountability, social responsibility, and diversity.

Our Mandate

The BRICS Feminist Watch engages in critical feminist analyses to promote ecologically, economically and socially sustainable development in the BRICS countries. Our mission is to challenge mainstream economic development models that are based on extra-activism, including women’s bodies, labour, and natural resources, and to shift the dominant development discourse towards being more inclusive, sustainable, and just. We are committed to uphold the economic, social, and cultural rights and empowerment of women, and the holistic integration of gender and social equity in the global South. We intend to work with the BRICS governments and institutions, including the NDB and AIIB, to place women at the centre of the development discourse, and create structures, institutions, policies, and projects to ensure the holistic empowerment of women.

Our Objectives

The BRICS Feminist Watch aims to ensure protection and promotion of gender equality and human rights through equitable and sustainable development models. This entails recognition of women as powerful labour market participants and significant development enablers.

BFW undertakes research and advocacy to engender an enabling environment within the global South which allows for redistribution of unpaid work, and a reduction in barriers and burdens that hamper women’s social, economic, and political participation.

BFW pushes for policies and mechanisms that foster women’s leadership through economic and political empowerment, and for protective legislation at the workplace and in the private sphere.

BFW promotes fair and gender responsive trade and investment policies. We will work towards greater accountability and transparency into the working of NDB and AIIB through advocacy, project and policy monitoring, information dissemination, and civil society capacity building.

Our Objectives

The BRICS Feminist Watch aims to ensure protection and promotion of gender equality and human rights through equitable and sustainable development models. This entails recognition of women as powerful labour market participants and significant development enablers.
BFW undertakes research and advocacy to engender an enabling environment within the global South which allows for redistribution of unpaid work, and a reduction in barriers and burdens that hamper women’s social, economic, and political participation.
BFW pushes for policies and mechanisms that foster women’s leadership through economic and political empowerment, and for protective legislation at the workplace and in the private sphere.
BFW promotes fair and gender responsive trade and investment policies. We will work towards greater accountability and transparency into the working of NDB and AIIB through advocacy, project and policy monitoring, information dissemination, and civil society capacity building.