 | |
| Abbreviation | IWDA |
|---|---|
| Formation | 1985 |
| Founded at | Melbourne, Australia |
| Type | Non-governmental organisation |
| Website | http://www.iwda.org.au |
International Women's Development Agency Inc. (IWDA) is an Australian non-profit organisation that works to support women's rights in Asia and the Pacific.
International Women’s Development Agency is a secular, non-profit agency, founded in 1985 and based in Melbourne. Its three founding members were: Ruth Pfanner, Wendy Poussard and Wendy Rose. [1] IWDA was formed to break down the barriers that prohibit the full equality of women in every country, but in particular in the Asia-Pacific region. [2] It adheres to the ten principles of the UN's Global Compact. [3] In 2000, the IWDA funded its 300th overseas project. [1] As of 2017, the organisation had worked with 194 partnership organisations in 36 countries. [1] In 2021, the organisation's total income was over 14 million Australian dollars. [4]
IWDA undertakes projects in partnership with women from the Asia-Pacific region. [5] These projects are devised and managed by women who live and work in the communities themselves, fostering practical and innovative responses to the most critical issues facing them. [5] IWDA focuses on three main areas of women's rights: civil and political participation, economic empowerment and sustainable livelihoods, and safety and security. [6] The IWDA supports individual deprivation measure research into poverty.
The project has partnerships in Cambodia, Timor-Leste, Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, and Myanmar and its borders, amongst others. [6] IWDA also works across research, policy & advocacy to advance women's rights. [6] Its work has expanded to include issues relating to LGBT communities. [4]
The IWDA's first overseas programme started in the Philippines in 1986, providing healthcare to women. [1]
In the Solomon Islands, the IWDA has partnered with Women’s Rights Action Movement in order to promote increased participation in political life, in particular at a provincial level, as well as working with WRAM to combat other aspects of discrimination against women in the country. [7]
