GLOBAL FUND FOR WOMEN INC

Global Fund for Women works around the world to create a strong, responsible civil society in the form of a women's movement that is ready and able to rise to action as needs arise, because these rights are universal; are not limited by geography, race, religion, culture, ethnicity, or any other criteria; and require vigilant monitoring and protection. We seek a world where there is zero violence against women and girls, where there is individual and collective economic independence for all women and girls, the adoption of gender-conscious policies and laws that ensure women's and girls' equal access to resources, political voice and participation in decision-making and a world where all women are free to make autonomous reproductive and sexual choices based on universal access sexual and reproductive health services and information. To realize this world we seek, Global Fund for Women invests in three areas in order to advance women's and girls' human rights worldwide: Zero Violence, Economic and Political Empowerment, and Sexual and Reproductive Rights and Health. Our partners are innovative in their use of tools for change, utilizing technology, education, and leadership to advocate, connect, expand knowledge, organize, strategize, and empower women around the world. Through grants of general support, financial and technical support for capacity building, opportunities for building strong networks and raising visibility for their work, the Global Fund for Women invests in new groups and new initiatives that innovate using ideas, approaches, and voices as well as organizations with proven approaches that can strengthen and sustain their influence. Global Fund for Women has been a dedicated and vocal supporter of the most marginalized women and girls including LGBTQI, workers' rights, women with disabilities, and ethnic, religious, and cultural minorities. Our impact is holistic and creates lasting change. Evaluation of our work has found strong evidence that the groups funded by the Global Fund for Women have made a significant difference in the lives of women and girls. Examples of our successes by theme: Zero Violence: Global Fund for Women has supported women's organizations to pass anti-violence against women laws in 25 countries that now protect more than 1 billion women and girls. We support grassroots movements and have funded domestic violence shelters and crisis hotlines in numerous communities, including the first national women's crisis hotline in China, The Association Concerning Sexual Violence Against Women, a 24-hour center which offers crisis intervention services, counseling, emotional support, coordination of temporary shelter, and medical, police, and court advocates to almost 300 women. We also organized two advocacy campaigns that secured over 38,000 signatures to end violence against women in Burma and 47 countries in Europe. This petition was then presented to Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Thorbjrn Jagland, further pressuring the rest of the EU member-states to implement The Istanbul Convention. Within a week, Turkey became the first country to ratify the Convention, which provides a groundbreaking framework to prevent, stop, and sanction the crime of violence against women. Economic and Political Empowerment: Global Fund for Women has given grants and networking opportunities to partners who have contributed towards major wins for women, including ensuring the implementation of national quotas for women in parliament in Nepal and Papua New Guinea; state-level quotas for women in parliament across India; and the creation of an internationally-recognized platform to protect the basic labor rights of domestic workers, ILO Convention 189 Concerning Decent Work for Domestic Workers. Sexual and Reproductive Rights and Health: Global Fund For Women has supported advocacy for women's reproductive rights in 94 countries, including successful efforts to legalize abortion in Mexico City, Colombia, and Uruguay. After a decade of tireless advocacy by two of the Global Fund's Uruguayan grantee partners-Mujer y Salud Uruguay and Mujer Ahora-the Senate passed a first ever bill to decriminalize abortion in the first twelve weeks of pregnancy, andthe president has signed the measure into law. This victory for women in Uruguay is spurring on women's organizations in surrounding countries to push for similar abortion bills, including our Argentinian grantee partner, Catolicas por el Derecho a Decidir de Argentina.