Regional Coalition for Monitoring the Belém do Pará Convention

The Regional Coalition for Monitoring the Belém do Pará Convention (Belém do Pará Coalition) is a platform made up of human rights organisations and networks committed to eradicating discrimination and gender-based violence across the region. It was established ahead of the Conference of States Parties to the Belém do Pará Convention, held in 2024,  to facilitate coordinated civil society participation in the conference and with the long-term aim of consolidating a political advocacy agenda and strengthening the effective implementation of this binding instrument.

Through a collective and regional approach, the Coalition brings together more than 15 regional networks and organisations working on the gender-based violence agenda from diverse perspectives and across different thematic areas and populations. This enables it to address the implementation of the Convention through an intersectional lens that is responsive to the realities of each country in the region.

The Coalition also seeks to promote the strengthening of the Follow-up Mechanism to the Belém do Pará Convention (MESECVI) and its Committee of Experts. In addition, it aims to deepen collaboration with the Inter-American Commission of Women (CIM) and other mechanisms within the Organization of American States (OAS) that play a key role in advancing the human rights of women and girls.

About the Belém do Pará Convention

The Inter-American Convention on the Prevention, Punishment and Eradication of Violence against Women, known as the Belém do Pará Convention, was adopted on 9 June 1994 and marked a regional milestone by publicly recognising violence against women as a human rights violation and a systemic problem, rather than a matter confined to the private and family sphere. In addition to defining violence against women as any act or conduct based on gender that causes physical, sexual or psychological harm, it established the obligation of States to act with due diligence to prevent, investigate, punish and provide redress for such acts.

To strengthen its implementation, MESECVI was established in 2004 as a system that brings together States Parties, a Committee of Experts and civil society to assess progress, identify challenges and formulate recommendations.

Today, 33 of the 34 full member states of the Organization of American States (OAS) have ratified this binding instrument, committing themselves to developing legal frameworks, public policies, educational programmes and specialised services to prevent and respond to violence against women. The United States is the only state that has not ratified the Convention.

More than three decades after its adoption, the Belém do Pará Convention remains a fundamental tool. It has strengthened the role of civil society and the feminist movement in promoting legal reforms, shaping public policy, and expanding services and protection mechanisms for survivors throughout the region.

What are the objectives of the Regional Coalition for Monitoring the Belém do Pará Convention?

The Coalition works across three complementary areas to strengthen civil society advocacy in monitoring and advancing the implementation of the Belém do Pará Convention.

1. Political advocacy: To raise the visibility of and promote the effective implementation of the Belém do Pará Convention through advocacy actions directed at States Parties. This includes encouraging the adoption, monitoring and evaluation of concrete measures; actively participating in the Convention’s evaluation rounds; promoting the strengthening of mechanisms such as MESECVI and the CIM; and ensuring a progressive interpretation of the Convention during Conferences of States Parties. These efforts are supported by communication strategies that raise awareness of the Convention and highlight the work of civil society, enhancing their impact in political and multilateral spaces.
2. Training and capacity strengthening: To develop and facilitate tools and learning opportunities on the Belém do Pará Convention and related instruments for organisations and networks working on gender-based violence, while promoting the exchange of knowledge and good practices.
3. Alliance-building: To foster coordination among regional and national organisations in the development of joint funding, advocacy and monitoring strategies aimed at ensuring compliance with commitments undertaken by States. This approach seeks to guarantee a coordinated and sustainable defence of the rights of women and girls.

Who are its members and how does it operate?

The Coalition operates through a horizontal and flexible approach, prioritising consensus-building and respect for the diversity of perspectives represented within the space.

Equality Now founded the Coalition and currently serves as its coordinator, ensuring the continuity of its work and facilitating communication among member organisations.

The Coalition is composed of the following regional networks and organisations:

• A Breeze of Hope
• Alianza Regional por la Libre Expresión e Información
• Articulación Regional Feminista
• Center for Reproductive Rights
• Comité de América Latina y el Caribe para la Defensa de los Derechos de las Mujeres (CLADEM)
• Comunidad Internacional de Mujeres Viviendo con VIH – Capítulo Latinoamericano (ICW Latina)
• Enlace Continental de Mujeres Indígenas de las Américas (ECMIA)
• Equality Now
• Instituto para las Mujeres en la Migración, AC (IMUMI)
• Jóvenas Latidas
• Access to Justice Network
• Red de Defensoras Digitales
• Red de Mujeres Afrolatinoamericanas, Afrocaribeñas y de la Diáspora
• Red de Salud de las Mujeres Latinoamericanas y del Caribe (RSMLAC)
• Red Latinoamericana y del Caribe de Personas Trans (REDLACTRANS)

Contact: art.belemdopara@gmail.com