International Alliance of Women
The International Alliance of Women (IAW; French: Alliance Internationale des Femmes, AIF) is an international non-governmental organization that works to promote women's rights and gender equality. It was historically the main international organization that campaigned for women's suffrage. IAW stands for an inclusive, intersectional and progressive liberal feminism. IAW's principles state that all genders are "born equally free [and are] equally entitled to the free exercise of their individual rights and liberty," that "women’s rights are human rights" and that "human rights are universal, indivisible and interrelated."[1]
Formation | Berlin, 3 June 1904 |
---|---|
Founder | Carrie Chapman Catt |
Type | INGO |
Purpose | Political advocacy |
Headquarters | Geneva |
Membership | Over 50 organizations world-wide |
Official language | English and French |
President | Alison Brown |
Secretary-General | Miranda Tunica Ruzario |
Affiliations | General Consultative Status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council, Participatory Status with the Council of Europe |
Website | womenalliance |
IAW is traditionally the dominant international non-governmental organization within the liberal (or bourgeois) women's movement. The basic principle of IAW is that the full and equal enjoyment of human rights is due to all women and girls. It is one of the oldest, largest and most influential organizations in its field. The organization was founded as the International Woman Suffrage Alliance (IWSA) in 1904 in Berlin, Germany, by Carrie Chapman Catt, Millicent Fawcett, Susan B. Anthony and other leading feminists from around the world to campaign for women's suffrage.[2] IWSA was headquartered in London, and it was the preeminent international women's suffrage organization. Its emphasis has since shifted to a broad human rights focus. As part of the liberal women's rights movement IAW maintained a clear pro-Western stance throughout the Cold War.[3] Today it represents over 50 organizations world-wide comprising several hundred thousand members, and has its seat in Geneva.
From 1926, the organization had strong ties to the League of Nations. Since 1947, IAW has had general consultative status to the United Nations Economic and Social Council, the highest UN status possible for a non-governmental organization, the fourth organization to be granted this status. IAW also has participatory status with the Council of Europe. It has representatives at the UN headquarters in New York, the UN office in Geneva, the UN office in Vienna, UNESCO in Paris, the Food and Agriculture Organization in Rome and the Council of Europe in Strasbourg. It also has representatives to the Arab League in Cairo and the Gulf Countries Council in Riyadh, and is a member of the European Women's Lobby in Brussels. IAW's working languages are English and French. In 1904 IAW's adopted yellow/gold as its color, the color associated with the mainstream women's rights movement in the United States since the 19th century.
IAW understands LGBT rights as an integral part of feminism and has expressed concern over "anti-trans voices [that] are becoming ever louder and [that] are threatening feminist solidarity across borders."[4]
History
The International Alliance of Women, formerly the International Woman Suffrage Alliance, is historically the most important international organization within the bourgeois-liberal women's movement. The decision for the establishment of the organization was taken in Washington in 1902 by suffragists frustrated at the reluctance of the International Council of Women to support women's suffrage.[5] The Alliance was formally constituted during the Second conference in Berlin in 1904 as the International Woman Suffrage Alliance (IWSA), and was headquartered in London for much of its history.[6] Its founders included Carrie Chapman Catt, Millicent Fawcett, Helene Lange, Susan B. Anthony, Anita Augspurg, Rachel Foster Avery, and Käthe Schirmacher.
Amongst subsequent congresses were those held in Copenhagen (1906), Amsterdam (1908), London (1909), Stockholm (June 1911), and Budapest (1913).[7] The French Union for Women's Suffrage (UFSF), founded in February 1909, was formally recognized by the IWFA congress in London in April 1909 as representing the French suffrage movement.[8] IWSA also started its own monthly journal, the Jus Suffragii. IWSA, influenced by moderate liberal feminist Millicent Fawcett against the militancy of suffragettes in the style of Emmeline Pankhurst, refused membership to the WSPU at their 1906 Copenhagen meeting.[7]
In the late 1920s, the organization changed its name to the International Alliance of Women for Suffrage and Equal Citizenship, and in 1946 this was altered to its current name, International Alliance of Women.[9][10] The first Executive Board included Carrie Chapman Catt (President), Anita Augspurg (1st Vice President), Donovan Bolden (2nd Vice President) and Rachel Foster Avery (Secretary).
The organization's first President Carrie Chapman Catt also founded the League of Women Voters in the United States during her presidency.
IAW maintained a clear pro-Western stance throughout the Cold War.[3] The organization's traditional colour, used to symbolize women's rights and women's suffrage, is yellow.[11]
IAW's members in the Nordic countries were also members of the Joint Organization of Nordic Women's Rights Associations.
Policies
LGBT+ rights
IAW shares the mainstream feminist position on LGBT+ rights and views the struggle for LGBT+ rights as an integral part of feminism. In 2021 IAW and its affiliate, the Icelandic Women's Rights Association (IWRA), organized a CSW forum on how the women's rights movement could counter "anti-trans voices [that] are becoming ever louder and [that] are threatening feminist solidarity across borders," where IAW President Marion Böker discussed her organization's trans-inclusive position.[4] IWRA has stated that "IWRA works for the rights of all women – feminism without trans women is no feminism at all."[12] IAW's Danish affiliate, the Danish Women's Society, has said that it takes homophobia and transphobia very seriously, that "we support all initiatives that promote the rights of gay and transgender people" and that "we see the LGBTQA movement as close allies in the struggle against inequality and we fight together for a society where gender and sexuality do not limit an individual."[13] IAW's Norwegian affiliate, the Norwegian Association for Women's Rights, supports legal protections against discrimination and hate speech on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression.[14][15] IAW affiliates such as Deutscher Frauenring advocate for trans-inclusive feminism.[16] The Icelandic Women's Rights Association has published a report on improving the situation of non-binary people in Iceland.[17]
Conferences
- 1st, Washington, D.C., 1902
- 2nd, Berlin, 1904
- 3rd, Copenhagen, 1906
- 4th, Amsterdam, 1908
- 5th, London, 1909
- 6th, Stockholm, 1911
- 7th, Budapest, 1913
- 8th, Geneva, 1920
- 9th, Rome, 1923 [18]
- 10th, Paris, 1926
- 11th, Berlin, 1929
- 12th, Istanbul, 1935
- 13th, Copenhagen, 1939
- 14th, Interlaken, 1946
- 15th, Amsterdam, 1949
- 16th, Naples, 1952
- 17th, Colombo, Ceylon, 1955
- 18th, Athens, 1958
- 19th, Dublin, 1961
- 21st, England, 1967
- 22nd, Konigstein, West Germany, 1970
- 23rd, New Delhi, 1973
Organization
An International Congress is held triennially in the home country of a member organization, and elects the Executive Board. The current President and Chief Representative to the United Nations is Alison Brown. The Executive Board also includes the Secretary-General, the Treasurer and until 20 other members, including two Executive Vice Presidents as well as Vice Presidents for Europe, the Arab countries, the Arab states of the Persian Gulf, Africa, and Regional Coordinators for North America, Pacific, and South East Asia.
Presidents
- Carrie Chapman Catt (USA) 1904–1923
- Dame Margery Corbett Ashby (UK) 1923–1946
- Hanna Rydh (Sweden) 1946–1952
- Ester Graff (Denmark) 1952–1958
- Ezlynn Deraniyagala (Sri Lanka) 1958–1964
- Begum Anwar Ahmed (Pakistan) 1964–1970
- Edith Anrep (Sweden) 1970–1973
- Irène de Lipkowski (France) 1973–1979
- Olive Bloomer (UK) 1979–1989
- Alice Yotopoulos-Marangopoulos (Greece) 1989–1996
- Patricia Giles (Australia) 1996–2004
- Rosy Weiss (Austria) 2004–2010
- Lyda Verstegen (The Netherlands) 2010–2013
- Joanna Manganara (Greece) 2013–2020
- Cheryl Hayles (Canada) 2020–2021
- Marion Böker (Germany) 2021–2022
- Alison Brown (USA) 2022–
Current status
The IAW represents about 45 organizations world-wide as well as individual members. The IAW was granted general consultative status to the United Nations Economic and Social Council, the highest level possible, in 1947,[19] and has participatory status with the Council of Europe.[20] The IAW has permanent representatives in New York, Vienna, Geneva, Paris, Rome, Nairobi and Strasbourg and addresses the European Union through its membership in the European Women’s Lobby[21][22] in Brussels. The IAW's current representative to the UN headquarters, Soon-Young Yoon, is also chair of the NGO Committee on the Status of Women, New York.
The IAW pays particular attention to the universal ratification and implementation without reservation of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) and its Optional Protocol. The current IAW Commissions deal with the topics: Justice and Human Rights; Democracy; Peace; Elimination of Violence and Health.
Members
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See also
References
- ^ Principles of the International Alliance of Women
- ^ "International Woman Suffrage News (Centenary edition)" (PDF). Women Alliance.
- ^ a b Francisca de Haan, Rosa Manus (1881–1942), p. 17, BRILL, 2016, ISBN 9789004333185
- ^ a b "Transfeminism and the Women's Movement". Icelandic Women's Rights Association. 15 March 2021. Retrieved 26 November 2021.
- ^ Liddington 1989, p. 37.
- ^ Liddington 1989, p. 56.
- ^ a b Liddington 1989, p. 63.
- ^ Hause 2002.
- ^ Women, International Alliance of. . asteria.fivecolleges.edu. Archived from the original on 2010-04-01. Retrieved 2019-06-07.
- ^ Boles & Hoeveler 2004, p. 21.
- ^ Lumsden 1997, p. 162.
- ^ "IWRA works for the rights of ALL women. Feminism without trans women is no feminism at all". Icelandic Women's Rights Association. Retrieved 28 November 2021.
- ^ . Dansk Kvindesamfund. Archived from the original on 18 March 2022. Retrieved 2 January 2022.
- ^ . Archived from the original on 15 March 2022. Retrieved 15 March 2022.
- ^ Karin M. Bruzelius (12 November 2018). . Norwegian Association for Women's Rights. Archived from the original on 11 August 2020. Retrieved 26 November 2021.
- ^ (PDF). Deutscher Frauenring. 2021-11-20. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2022-01-19.
- ^ "Being non-binary in Iceland: How is gender equality for non-binary people?". Kvenréttindafélag Íslands. 4 November 2022. Retrieved 2022-11-08.
- ^ Spriggs, W.M. (14 September 1923). "Branch Note - Edinburgh". The Vote. p. 295.
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: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ ECOSOC NGO database
- ^ CoE List of participatory NGOs
- ^ . November 3, 2017. Archived from the original on 2018-09-23. Retrieved 2018-12-08.
- ^
Sources
- Boles, Janet K.; Hoeveler, Diane Long (2004). Historical Dictionary of Feminism. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 0-8108-4946-1.
- Hause, Steven C. (2002). "Union Française Pour Le Suffrage Des Femmes (UFSF)". In Helen Tierney (ed.). Women's Studies Encyclopedia. Greenwood Press. Retrieved 2015-03-13.
- Liddington, Jill (1989). The Road to Greenham Common: Feminism and Anti-militarism in Britain Since 1820. Syracuse University Press. ISBN 978-0-8156-2539-1. Retrieved 2015-03-13.
- Lumsden, Linda J. (1997). "Appendix I". Rampant Women: Suffragists and the Right of Assembly. Univ. of Tennessee Press. ISBN 1572331631.
Further reading
- Rupp, Leila J. (2011), "Transnational Women's Movements", European History Online, Mainz: Institute of European History
- Archives of International Alliance of Women are held at The Women's Library at the Library of the London School of Economics
- International Alliance of Women 1904-2004[permanent dead link]
- International Alliance of Women Records 1906-2009 Finding Aid, Sophia Smith Collection, Smith College
External links
- Official site
- International Alliance of Women records Sophia Smith Collection, Smith College Special Collections
- International Woman Suffrage Alliance archives at the John Rylands Library, Manchester.
- Constitution in the Woman's Rights Collection, 1909. Schlesinger Library, Radcliffe Institute, Harvard University.