As you know, a group of us have worked together to draft a sign-on letter to object to the May 2022 alarming announcement of a Memorandum of Understanding between UN Women and BlackRock, the world’s largest investment firm, which has deep ties to the fossil fuel and military industries. This announcement gravely highlights the corporate capture of the UN as well as the closed door process of drafting and signing these agreements, without transparency, public consultation, or the oversight of the feminist movements that UN Women should center and prioritize. The letter has been signed by nearly 600 organizations and individuals, and has been sent this morning to UN Women’s Executive Director and Civil Society liaison office. Read the letter in English, French, and Spanish. 

We invite you to join an online public event, on Tuesday, 16 August at 1pm UTC (convert to your time zone here), to unpack why UN Women needs to rescind the partnership with BlackRock and set standards for its private sector partnerships. The event will feature framing remarks and reflections from communities who have stood up against BlackRock before, researchers who can give insights on the fad of “impact investment”, as well as some of the feminists behind bringing together this letter. Simultaneous interpretation will be available across English, French, Spanish and Portuguese. Please register for the Zoom webinar here. 

We have also published a press release in English, French, and Spanish, and are seeking media uptake of these critical reflections and demands. Please feel free to amplify these demands on social media using this toolkit. 

Grateful for your solidarity, 

Katie and the feminists behind #BlockBlackRock

Katie Tobin

Senior Program Manager

Women's Environment & Development Organization (WEDO)