commons (n.)
mid-14c., “the people collectively,” especially “the common people as distinguished from the rulers and nobility and the clergy.
common (adj.)
c. 1300, “belonging to all, owned or used jointly, general, of a public nature or character,” from Old French comun “common, general, free, open, public” (9c., Modern French commun), from Latin communis “in common, public, shared by all or many; general, not specific; familiar, not pretentious.” “shared by all.”
20% of the world’s population use 80% of the world’s natural resources. When resources which should be ‘owned’ and shared by the commons, are controlled by and reserved for a few, it comes at great harm to everyone else: rising poverty, deadly conflicts, climate change, forced displacement, and food insecurity to name a few.
United Commons, the charitable arm of Femmes Mondiales, is a grassroots-driven initiative founded on global ecofeminist principles. We reject a world based on frameworks of dominance and aggression. Instead, we recognise that all beings are connected, including the environment. We understand that women are disproportionally impacted by conflict and poverty, while simultaneously largely being excluded from leadership and decision-making roles, despite the overwhelming empirical evidence that proves socities are more just, equitable and peaceful when women occupy these roles.
With this in mind, we take a bottom-up approach to our programs, working exclusively with local stakeholders embeded in the communities we aim to support that share our values. Our initiatives are community-led and embody family and child honouring, environmental stewardship, healing and reconciliation. We are a grassroots-driven initiative, encouraging connections based on mutual respect, healthy self-esteem, empathy and understanding.
We engage in positive peacebuilding efforts with a critical emphasis on women’s rights, child wellness, child education and social emotional learning (SEL), and sharing and preservation of environmental resources. Our aim is to encourage connections based on mutual respect, healthy self-esteem, empathy and understanding. A peaceful society is one in which no one goes hungry, we are in balance with ecology, there is health care for all, and end to impunity for MVAWG, more women in leadership roles, no barriers to education, and an understanding of the interconnectedness of all beings, including the environment.
Justice comes in many forms, not just inside a courtroom. Lasting peace is not possible without justice. With decolonisation and global ecofeminism as critical underpinnings, we support justice in and outside the courtroom including forms of reconciliation and reparations, post-conflict reconstruction, community-led trauma support, healthcare, food security and economy regeneration and land back initiatives. It is critical that local stakeholders – the everyday people – have a seat at the table when their lives are being discussed, in particular women who are often left on the sidelines.
Freedom for all the beings and freedom for the land. Freedom is achieved when all beings are equal not only under legal mechanisms, but in everyday societal practice. Freedom is achieved when we understand and internalise our deep inter-connectedness with the land, the trees, the water, and each other.
