Championing the human rights of mothers – MMM at HRC62

MMM participation in HRC debates

• Annual full-day discussion on the human rights of women

Marking the International Day of Women in Diplomacy, this panel focused on women’s right to work and representation in decision-making.

In its statement, MMM argued that the persistent underrepresentation of women in positions of leadership and influence demonstrates that inclusion alone is insufficient. We must also address the institutional norms, workplace cultures and leadership pathways that shape who is able to participate and exercise influence.

Too often, these structures are built around assumptions of uninterrupted careers, minimal caregiving responsibilities and constant availability. As a result, many women, particularly mothers, face systemic barriers to exercising their right to work and participating fully and equally in public life and decision-making.

We called for care-inclusive policies — affordable childcare, adequate parental leave and flexible working arrangements — as a condition for mothers’ equal participation in decision-making.
Read MMM’s full statement

• Interactive dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights

MMM expressed strong support for the Roadmap for Eradicating Poverty Beyond Growth and its call for a transition towards a Human Rights Economy centred on wellbeing, care and social justice.

The roadmap recognises a fundamental reality: economies depend not only on markets and paid labour, but also on the vast amount of unpaid care work performed every day, predominantly by women. Yet this life-sustaining work remains largely invisible and undervalued. Its unequal distribution limits women’s labour force participation, earnings, and social protection, increasing their risk of poverty—particularly for mothers.

We called on Member States to recognise that poverty and inequality are the result of policy choices, and to embrace the Roadmap as a guide towards a care-centred Human Rights Economy.

Read MMM’s full statement

• Interactive dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls

Presenting the first-ever UN report dedicated exclusively to mothers as rights holders, Special Rapporteur Reem Alsalem’s report documented the systemic violence mothers face because of their status as mothers. MMM contributed to the report alongside eight of our grassroots member organisations and welcomed its findings, reaffirming that recognising motherhood does not reduce women to a single identity – it ensures their realities are reflected in law and policy.

→ Read our full account of the report and our statement here

MMM participation in HRC side-events

Alongside our formal statements, MMM was invited to speak at three events held on the margins of HRC62:

• At an event organised on 18 June by Widows Rights International on Widows Human Rights, we highlighted the work of our member organisation the Association des Sœurs Augustines, which supports mothers who have been widowed by years of conflict and displacement in northern Burkina Faso as they rebuild their lives and livelihoods. Read more in this article
• Invited to speak at an event organised by the Special Rapporteur on violence against women on 25 June, The Maternal Gap: How Systems Fail Mothers and What Must Change, we examined how employment and social protection systems overlook the motherhood penalty. Our intervention is covered in the same article as our oral statement above
• At an event organised on 1st July by Soroptimist International on Advancing Women’s Financial Health and Pension Security, we showed how motherhood-related career interruptions accumulate over a lifetime into a gender pension gap wider than that experienced by childless women, and called for a redistribution of unpaid care work as key to closing it. Read more in this article

Our take on the resolutions adopted at HRC62

HRC62 saw the adoption – without opposition, and after several hostile amendments were rejected – of the resolution “Elimination of all forms of discrimination against women and girls in care and support systems” (A/HRC/62/L.16/Rev.1), led by Mexico, Iceland and Spain and co-sponsored by a broad group of States.

Although the resolution falls short of recognising maternity and motherhood as intersecting grounds of discrimination, we are pleased that several of our recommendations were reflected in the  its calls on Member States, including to:

• Guarantee universal, accessible and adequate social protection for women and girls throughout their lives, regardless of marital status or participation in the formal labour market
• Invest in infrastructure, particularly in rural areas, for affordable childcare, early education and health services, and extend paid maternity, paternity and parental leave and social protection to informal and non-standard workers
• Encourage business entities to recognise the value of skills developed through care work, and to develop accessible care services for workers and families

Another important resolution, “Promoting, protecting and respecting women’s and girls’ full enjoyment of human rights in humanitarian situations” (A/HRC/62/L.21/Rev.1), recognises that women and girls are disproportionately affected by armed conflicts and humanitarian crises, which exacerbates preexisting gender inequalities, including in the distribution of care. The resolution also expresses alarm that women and girls in humanitarian situations face significantly heightened risks of maternal mortality and morbidity, with about 61% of all maternal deaths occurring in countries affected by armed conflict or fragility; it urges member states to strive to ensure uninterrupted access to healthcare.

Looking ahead

HRC62 was a historic session for MMM and for mothers everywhere with the presentation of the first-ever UN report dedicated exclusively to mothers as rights holders. Throughout the session, MMM consistently advanced the same message: mothers’ realities – their unpaid care work, their economic insecurity and their exposure to violence and discrimination – must be visible in the laws, policies and international frameworks that shape gender equality. We look forward to building on this momentum in the sessions ahead.