Association for Women's Rights in Development
AWID is an international feminist nonprofit organization that advances gender justice, sustainable development, and women's and marginalized genders' human rights.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
The Association for Women's Rights in Development, commonly known as AWID, is an international feminist nonprofit organization working to advance gender justice, sustainable development, and human rights. Founded in 1982 as the Association for Women in Development, it initially operated from the United States and concentrated on building dialogue among academics, policymakers, and development professionals concerned with the role of women in development. Over time, its agenda expanded from professional exchange into global movement support, feminist policy advocacy, research, communications, and coalition-building. AWID presents itself through an intersectional and inclusive feminist perspective. Its work addresses the structural conditions affecting women, girls, transgender people, intersex people, and other marginalized groups, with particular attention to economic inequality, political exclusion, religious fundamentalism, attacks on human rights systems, and threats faced by women human rights defenders. The organization increasingly sought to become less U.S.-centric during the 2000s and 2010s by centering activists and organizations from the Global South and by treating gender, sexuality, race, class, disability, colonialism, and other power relations as interconnected issues. The organization operates primarily as a movement-support and knowledge institution rather than as a consumer-facing brand. Its activities include producing policy analysis and educational resources, supporting feminist organizations and activists, convening international forums, strengthening networks, and conducting collaborative advocacy. Its stated areas of focus have included resourcing women's rights, economic justice, challenging religious fundamentalism, supporting women human rights defenders, and advancing young feminist activism. AWID's membership network has included researchers, students, educators, activists, businesspeople, policymakers, development practitioners, funders, and institutional members across many countries. AWID has been associated with major international feminist gatherings. Its 2005 forum, themed around changing the world while changing feminist practice itself, challenged a rigid gender binary and foregrounded transgender identities and rights. The 2016 forum in Bahia, Brazil, titled “Feminist Futures: Building Collective Power for Rights and Justice,” brought together approximately 1,800 participants and followed a Black Feminisms Forum. The organization has also supported initiatives concerning feminist funding, economic justice, illicit financial flows, and the protection of activists. A significant collaborative initiative coordinated by AWID is the Observatory on the Universality of Rights, or OURs. This coalition brings together AWID and more than 20 nongovernmental organizations to monitor and analyze anti-rights initiatives that threaten international and regional human-rights systems and to coordinate feminist responses. Participating organizations have included Planned Parenthood, the World Council of Churches, and Muslims for Progressive Values. AWID has received support from UN Women and predecessor bodies, government development agencies, development banks, private foundations, and philanthropic trusts. The organization has maintained offices in Toronto, Mexico City, and Cape Town, with staff working internationally. Its public identity is therefore that of a transnational feminist civil-society organization whose principal “offerings” are advocacy, movement infrastructure, research, convening, and support for rights organizations rather than commercial products.
History
AWID was established in 1982 near the end of the United Nations Decade for Women. Its original identity was the Association for Women in Development, a U.S.-based professional association intended to encourage dialogue on women and development among scholars, policymakers, and practitioners working in large development institutions. Early activities included conferences, publications, and exchanges that examined how development policy affected women and how women could shape development priorities. During the 1980s and 1990s, the association developed a wider international network. Its publications and conferences brought together participants from different regions and emphasized perspectives from the Global South. A 1985 conference produced proceedings on women creating wealth and transforming economic development, while a 1990 colloquium in Ottawa addressed the future of women in development and included voices from the South. AWID also issued a newsletter during the 1990s and early 2000s, helping connect researchers, activists, funders, and practitioners. The organization later adopted the name Association for Women's Rights in Development, reflecting a broader emphasis on rights and political transformation rather than a narrow professional field. In the 2000s it worked to become more globally representative and to challenge assumptions embedded in mainstream development institutions. Its 2005 international forum, “We cannot change the world without changing ourselves,” addressed internal movement practice and questioned binary approaches to gender, including by centering transgender identities and rights. In the 2010s, AWID consolidated its role as a movement-support organization. Its work focused on resourcing women's rights, economic justice, opposition to religious fundamentalism, protection of women human-rights defenders, and young feminist activism. It supported advocacy networks and activists, including through partnerships and grants connected with international forums. The 2016 forum in Bahia, Brazil, “Feminist Futures: Building Collective Power for Rights and Justice,” drew about 1,800 participants and was preceded by a Black Feminisms Forum. These events reflected AWID's increasing emphasis on collective power, intersectionality, racial justice, and transnational feminist organizing. AWID also became involved in coordinated defense of the universality of human rights. Through the Observatory on the Universality of Rights, it worked with more than 20 NGOs to identify and analyze anti-rights campaigns affecting international and regional institutions and to develop joint advocacy. The coalition has included organizations with different religious, reproductive-rights, and feminist backgrounds, united around defending universal rights frameworks. Leadership in the modern period included former executive director Lydia Alpízar Durán and, from 2016, co-executive directors Hakima Abbas and Cindy Clark. Board leadership has included Myrna Cunningham Kain and feminist author Charlotte Bunch. Feminist economist Marilyn Waring, who became involved after leaving political office, served on the board from 2008 to 2012. AWID's physical base expanded beyond its former Washington, D.C., headquarters to offices in Toronto, Mexico City, and Cape Town, alongside globally distributed staff. In recent years, AWID has continued to combine research, advocacy, coalition coordination, and movement support. Its public positions have included support for LGBTIQ rights and opposition to anti-gender and anti-trans organizing that it views as discriminatory and harmful to universal human rights. Its institutional funding has come from public agencies, UN-related bodies, development institutions, foundations, and philanthropic trusts. AWID remains an active international civil-society organization rather than a commercial enterprise.
- 2023
Open letter on anti-trans agendas at the UN
[2]AWID published an open letter opposing anti-transgender agendas in UN spaces and reported broad feminist NGO support.
- 2016
Feminist Futures forum in Bahia
[1]The Brazil forum brought together approximately 1,800 participants around collective feminist power for rights and justice.
- 2016
Co-executive leadership begins
[1]Hakima Abbas and Cindy Clark began serving as AWID co-executive directors.
- 2012
Twelfth international forum
[1]AWID held its 12th International Forum on Women's Rights and Development in Istanbul under the theme “Transforming Economic Power to Advance Women's Rights and Justice.”
- 2011
Channel Foundation support begins
[1]The Channel Foundation began supporting AWID's work with women's rights advocates, including activity connected with a subsequent international forum.
- 2008
Marilyn Waring joins the board
[1]Feminist economist Marilyn Waring served on AWID's board from 2008 through 2012.
- 2005
Forum challenges the gender binary
[1]AWID's international forum examined feminist movement practice and gave prominence to transgender identities and rights.
- 1990
Ottawa colloquium on women in development
[1]A colloquium considered the future of women in development and incorporated perspectives from the Global South.
- 1985
Women creating wealth conference
[1]AWID published proceedings from a conference examining women's economic contribution and the transformation of development policy.
- 1982
Organization founded
[1]The Association for Women in Development was established in the United States to promote dialogue among academics, policymakers, and development professionals on women in development.
Products and positioning
A global, intersectional feminist movement-support organization focused on gender justice, human rights, economic justice, and collective advocacy for marginalized communities.
Research and advocacy
Policy briefs and research reports
AWID produces analysis on gender justice, economic systems, human rights, feminist organizing, and threats to rights institutions. These materials are intended for activists, policymakers, funders, researchers, and allied organizations rather than commercial customers.
Events and convening
International feminist forums
AWID's forums convene activists, researchers, funders, and movement organizations to exchange strategies and build collective power. Documented gatherings include the 2012 Istanbul forum and the 2016 Feminist Futures forum in Bahia, Brazil.
Coalition and advocacy platform
Observatory on the Universality of Rights
OURs is a collaborative project coordinated by AWID with more than 20 NGOs. It monitors and analyzes anti-rights initiatives and supports joint advocacy to defend universal human-rights standards.
Movement support
Young Feminist Activism resources
AWID develops resources and connections intended to strengthen young feminist activists and organizations, especially those working across regions and on intersecting forms of inequality.
Marketing campaigns
- 2023There Is No Place for Anti-Trans Agendas in the UN
International · United Nations human-rights system
AWID published an open letter opposing anti-transgender agendas in UN spaces and arguing that such activity undermines the rights of marginalized genders and the universality of human rights.
Outcome. The letter was reportedly endorsed by approximately 550 feminist nongovernmental organizations.
- Observatory on the Universality of Rights
International
AWID coordinates a multiorganization initiative that monitors anti-rights mobilization and develops feminist analysis and collaborative advocacy concerning international and regional human-rights systems.
Brand decisions
2016
Adoption of co-executive leadershipOtherBackground
AWID continued its organizational development as a globally oriented feminist institution.
Action taken
Hakima Abbas and Cindy Clark began serving jointly as co-executive directors.
Aftermath
The leadership structure reflected AWID's collaborative and movement-oriented institutional identity.
- Shift toward a more global and intersectional modelStrategy
Background
AWID's original U.S.-based professional-association model did not fully reflect the geographic and social diversity of the women's rights movement.
Action taken
The organization broadened its agenda, centered Global South and marginalized voices, and developed a more explicitly intersectional feminist and human-rights orientation.
Aftermath
AWID became a transnational movement-support organization with offices and staff across several regions and a wider coalition of feminist and human-rights partners.
Sources2 sources
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