Our History

The National Alliance of Women’s Organisations NAWO, founded in 1989, is an umbrella organisation for over 100 organisations and individuals based in England.
All members are concerned to ensure women gain access to their human rights, and to make equality between women and men a reality.
Its diverse membership includes: single issue to specialist organisations, faith groups, health centres, arts-based organisations and others offering services and campaigning across a range of women’s concern
s.

Vision

A world where all women and girls are able to participate in and influence the decisions that impact on their lives.

Mission

To promote the human rights of all women and girls, with a special focus on gender equality and Europe by:

  • bringing the international to the domestic and vice versa – in Europe and at the UN: informing women and girls at home about international instruments and mechanisms and how to use them in their advocacy at all levels;
  • building in a Four Nations approach and furthering a discourse on the impact of devolved legislation and powers. This will be primarily through our work in the UK Joint Committee on Women (UKJCW), to which we bring particularly the perspectives of women in England;
  • researching to establish effective strategies for advocacy, developing and influencing policy, especially focusing on issues that are priorities for our members and for the European Women’s Lobby (EWL);
  • building alliances between organisations to develop the capacity of member and other organisations;
  • working with young women to develop a Young Women’s Alliance, to enable them to develop feminist identities and engage with and affect political processes.

Through NAWO’s alliance-model of working, this will enable the voices of women and girls of all ages and in all their diversity to have an impact on policy development and implementation at local, national (UK), European and international levels.

Values

NAWO functions within a set of core values that enable women and girls to access their rights and achieve gender equality throughout society. NAWO is committed to the implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action and the Convention for the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) and all members must endorse the principles contained in these documents.

Aims and Objectives

NAWO outlines its aims and objectives, in the Strategic Plan, 2015 – 2020, Here.

NAWO works in partnership with other women’s organisations:

To ensure that women’s voices are heard and attended to nationally, in Europe and internationally
To ensure that gender is mainstreamed throughout all government policies and in their implementation

Cornerstones of NAWO’s work

The Convention for the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW).
The Beijing Platform for Action (BPFA).

NAWO Commitments=

– The implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action (BPFA)
– The improvements of UK and devolved governments provision for women.
– The assessment of all UK policies and their impact on women and men.

Contact us

If you have any questions about NAWO’s work, or would like to get involved, please email admin@nawo.org.uk

Membership information

Click Here.