International Womens Democracy Center

Mission

IWDC was established in 1995 to strengthen women's global leadership through training, education, networking and research with a focus on increasing the roles of women in politics, policly and decision making within their own governments.  IWDC works in partnership with NGOs to ensure that women worldwide have the necessary tools and leadership skills to fully participate in politics, policy and decision making with in their own governments and throughout civil society in their own countries.

Working in partnership with established local non-government organizations (NGOs) and community-based leaders throughout the world, IWDC facilitates training workshops on leadership, campaign management and advocacy. IWDC responds to the growing need of women to acquire technical skills and leadership tools critical to their seeking and successfully maintaining elected offices and thus producing constructive change in the political, social and economic landscape of their communities and countries.

Programs

IWDC's operating programs include campaign management workshops, parliamentarian workshops, civil society and democratic institution building, lobbyist mentor programs, municipal governance and information about women's political leadership worldwide.

IWDC's campaign management workshops are facilitated in partnership with host country non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and provide women leaders with the technical tools and management skills to run for elected office in their own countries. Workshops are conducted in the local language and include an average of 35 participants representing all the political parties. In our commitment to build institutional capacity throughout the partnership, IWDC works with host NGOs to conduct follow up activities for the workshops.

IWDC core programs include Pipeline Project designed to train the next generation of leaders 18-35 with leadership skills and management tools across the US and around the world; United Nations Youth Delegate Program is designed mentor the next generation of leaders in diplomacy, international development and trade; the Community Advocate Mentor Program is designed to strengthen the public policy, lobbying and advocacy skills of community leaders living in regions of conflict and working towards co-existence. 

IWDC has conducted campaign managment and skill based leadership training workshops with women leaders from Togo, Liberia, Botswana, Yemen, Northern Ireland, Palestine, Israel, Haiti, and Turkey, and with the next generation of women leaders across the US in North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, California and New York.

 IWDC's UN Youth Delegate Program invites US based high school seniors to serve on IWDC's Official Delegation to the United Nations annual meetings of the Commission on the Status of Women, Special Sessions and UN Conferences around the world.

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