International Women’s Rights Action Watch Asia Pacific (IWRAW)

IWRAW Asia Pacific is the only regional/international NGO working with the CEDAW Convention as a main tool for change in the Asia Pacific. We see a critical role for ourselves in filling the gap between the promise of women’s rights and their actual realisation.

We contribute to the progressive interpretation, universalisation, implementation and realisation of women’s human rights through the lens of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women and other international human rights treaties. We facilitate a process through which the CEDAW Convention is used as a tool for applying international human rights standards at the national level and in a wide range of contexts (e.g. political participation, armed conflict, rights in marriage, violence against women, trafficking reproductive rights, employment, etc).

The experiences gained have contributed to the development of knowledge and skills, and created a better understanding of the various dimensions of equality, non-discrimination, State obligation, human rights principles (e.g. universality and indivisibility), and a rights-based approach to development.

As women become more motivated and capable in linking domestic activism with international advocacy, it is also necessary that IWRAW Asia Pacific take on new roles to maximise our potential to trigger changes in law and policy. As such, the next phase of our work will build on the existing knowledge base to develop a new set of tools that further strengthens women’s rights activism.

IWRAW Asia Pacific regularly works in 12 countries in South and South-east Asia and is expanding such work to other areas of the Asia and Pacific region (e.g. Central Asia , the Pacific). At the same time our presence and expertise expands beyond Asia Pacific, especially through our work at the regional and international arenas.

We focus on women and women’s NGOs, as well as work with human rights.

Philosophy

As a human rights organisation, IWRAW Asia Pacific places women at the centre of our work. We are committed to generating conditions and spaces which nurture opportunities for sharing, creating awareness of and realising human rights for all women. We seek to accomplish this through a spirit of respect for and mutual cooperation with those we work with.

Vision

IWRAW Asia Pacific envisions a world where there is full realisation and enjoyment of human rights by all. Women’s equality is integral to this achievement. We believe that through this societies can be transformed so as to achieve a balance of power, and sustainable and equitable development conducive to realising human rights.

Our Mission

To achieve our vision, we adopt a human rights approach and focus on the experiences of women from the South. We see ourselves as catalysts in building capacity for change and in enhancing the realisation of the human rights of women through:

• The effective implementation of human rights standards, as seen through the lens of CEDAW and other international human rights mechanisms, at all levels of society.
• The inclusion of women in standard-setting processes at the national and international levels, and in the formulation of policies and laws.
• The development of new knowledge and methodologies.
• The mobilisation of women to bring about good governance and sustainable change.