Through our capacity-building programs, we support women’s human rights defenders from diverse backgrounds and disciplines in developing the skills to work with an international women’s human rights framework, grounded in the provisions and praxis of the CEDAW, the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women. Participants of our programs not only come to understand CEDAW as a legal and conceptual framework, but develop a holistic understanding of women’s human rights as a vision for social change, along with developing the transformative leadership skills required to use a women’s human rights framework in their own activism, training, and organizations.
The WHRI promotes a feminist framework for women’s human rights activism and education through its three core programs: the Women’s Human Rights Education Institute (WHRI Intensive); the CEDAW for Change Institute; and the CEDAW Indígena collaborative institutes, as well as through online learning, consultancy, and partnerships with local organizations around the world.
Instruction is provided by internationally recognized feminist jurists, NGO activists and educators, who have spent decades working with the UN Human Rights system and CEDAW. Participants include NGO workers, women’s human rights defenders, activists, lawyers, judges, educators, trauma counsellors, social workers, researchers, and more. No prior knowledge of the UN system or international law is required. The WHRI has an inclusive philosophy that welcomes all people who have a demonstrated commitment to the realization of women’s human rights.