UN International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women UN-INSTRAW

The UN International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women (UN-INSTRAW) works to improve the lives of women throughout the world by ensuring that their rights, needs, views and priorities are integral components in decision-making and development. Your contribution to the UN Foundation’s Fund for UN-INSTRAW will support our efforts to make women a priority at an international level.

UN-INSTRAW relies entirely on voluntary financial contributions. Our funding comes from contributions by governments, foundations, corporations, organizations and individuals like you.

UN-INSTRAW is the leading UN institute devoted to research, training and knowledge management to achieve gender equality and women’s empowerment. Through alliance building with governments around the world, the UN System, academia, civil society, the private sector and other actors, UN-INSTRAW conducts action-oriented research, creates synergies for knowledge management, and builds capacity in organizations working toward gender equality.

UN-INSTRAW works to promote women’s security, development and participation through three programs:

• Human Security
  • Ending violence against women—in the home, at work, in the street
  • Contributing to the full implementation of Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security, among others
• Development
  • Migration, gender and remittances—looking at the impact of migration on national and community development, women’s human and economic rights, and the formation of transnational families
• Human Rights
  • Strengthening women’s role in politics and decision-making
  • Making equality central to good governance
  • Advisory services to promote women’s participation and gender mainstreaming
  • Contributions to the UN Foundation’s Fund for UN-INSTRAW can be directed to the overall mission of UN-INSTRAW.

UN-INSTRAW is a United Nations entity mandated to develop research and training programmes that contribute to the empowerment of women and the achievement of gender equality worldwide.

Through alliance building with UN Member States, international organizations, academia, civil society, the private sector and other actors, UN-INSTRAW:

• undertakes action-oriented research from a gender perspective that has a concrete impact on policies, programmes and projects;
• creates synergies for knowledge management and information exchange;
• strengthens the capacities of key stakeholders to integrate gender perspectives in policies, programmes and projects; and
• builds a sustainable, transparent and efficient institution.

In 2007, the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) reaffirmed its commitment to eliminating gender inequalities by requesting the Institute to strengthen its research and training activities in accordance with its mandates and its Strategic Framework 2008-2011, which strengthens the Institute’s commitment to act as a catalyst for action on gender – promoting applied research, facilitating information-sharing, and supporting capacity-building. The Institute’s Executive Board in 2007 also charged the Director of UN-INSTRAW with the active pursuit of funding from UN Member States and other partners to enable the Institute to continue its work within the framework of the United Nations reform process and in order to make it a sustainable, sound and innovative organization that applies good governance.