Asia Pacific Women's Watch

Asia Pacific Women's Watch http://www.apww-slwngof.org/ APWW has 4 priority thematic areas for 2017-2021

1.

Asia Pacific Women’s Watch (APWW) is a NGO -Governmental Organisations in Special Consultative Status United Nations with the United Nations Economic and Social Council (since September 2007)

The Asia Pacific Women’s Watch (APWW) is a regional network of women’s groups which:

Monitors and collaborates with the United Nations, national governments and non-government organisations (NGOs) in empow

ering women and advancing their human rights. APWW is represented by five (5) sub-regions – Central Asia, East Asia, the Pacific, South Asia and South East Asia and is also joined by representatives of each of three major international women’s networks: ARROW (Asian-Pacific Resource and Research Center for Women), Global Women’s Peace Network (GWPN), and feminist media organisation Isis International – Manila. With the mission of achieving Gender Equality, Women's Human Rights, Sustainable Development and Peace, APWW aims to:

· Monitor and lobby for Asia Pacific women’s perspectives to be included in international documents and processes;
· Promote gender mainstreaming in all decision-making structures;
· Disseminate information on good practices and lessons learned in advancing the status of women;
· Build capacity in communication technologies, media strategies and lobbying;
· Enhance women’s leadership in peace-making;
· Advocate to eliminate all forms of discrimination and violence against women;
· Advocate for mainstreaming gender equality and empowerment of women and girls in SDGs;
· Encourage sustainable rights- based development; and Strive for economic justice for women. APWW Strategic Direction 2017 – 2021

APWW’s work provides valuable spaces for women’s Civil Society Organisations (WCSOs) to gather, share, analyses, formulate common positions, and strategise linked activities and actions on common issues. As a network that continues to learn and evolve, APWW has raised the level of its involvement through the years, from providing research and analyses to participation and achieving high visibility inside official meetings. As APWW engages on UN Sustainable Development agenda it enables the network to carry forward the marginalised women’s voices inside official meetings. Promoting integration and mainstreaming of women's rights and gender equality standalone goal of the Global Agenda 2030 into national sustainable development strategies and sustainable development action plans,
2. Advocating mainstreaming Gender equality and Empowerment of women and girls into all goals national, regional sustainable development strategies and action-plan,
3. Monitoring of implementation of BPFA commitments through SDG processes throughout in the Asia-Pacific region,
4. Advocating for women CSOs effective engagement at all levels and all mechanisms/processes to achieve gender equality by 2030.

26/07/2026
21/07/2026

Yesterday, 20th July 2026, The Supreme Court Of Sri Lanka dismissed the Fundamental Rights Petition (SCFR 15/2026) that sought to challenge the validity of the Women's Empowerment Act no. 37 of 0f 2024 and the Gender Recognition Circular among other administrative documents and circulars. The case was taken up before the Chief Justice Padman Surasena and Justice Arjuna Obeysekera. The Women and Media Collective filed an intervening petition seeking to dismiss the petition. The court dismissed the case based on preliminary objections. The respondents and the intervenient petitioners raised the following objections; The application was time barred, The application sought to challenge a law that was legitimately passed and is in effect and; The petitioner was not able to clearly establish violation of his own rights.

Dismissal of this case marks a resolute win for all the women, activists, academics and the larger community who worked hard to make the women's empowerment Act and the Gender Recognition Certificate a reality

21/07/2026
19/07/2026
19/07/2026

World-class peace education for anyone, anywhere.

We are thrilled to see the announcement of Ms. Rabab Fatima’s appointment as the new UN Special Representative for Afgha...
19/07/2026

We are thrilled to see the announcement of Ms. Rabab Fatima’s appointment as the new UN Special Representative for Afghanistan and Head of UNAMA.

Secretary-General appoints Ms. Rabab Fatima of Bangladesh as Special Representative for Afghanistan and Head of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA)

New York, 15 July 2026 - United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres announced today the appointment of Rabab Fatima of Bangladesh as his new Special Representative for Afghanistan and Head of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA).

Ms. Fatima succeeds Roza Otunbayeva of Kyrgyzstan, to whom the Secretary-General expressed his gratitude for her dedicated service. He also thanks Georgette Gagnon of Canada, Deputy Special Representative of UNAMA, who currently serves as Officer-in-Charge of the Mission.

Ms. Fatima brings to the position over 30 years of experience in national and international civil service, encompassing bilateral and multilateral diplomacy, policymaking, advocacy, programme planning and implementation. She currently serves as Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States (UN-OHRLLS).



Prior to this, she was the Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Bangladesh to the United Nations in New York (2019-2022). In that capacity, she served as the President of the Executive Boards of UNICEF (2020) and UN-Women (2022), as well as Vice-President of the UNDP/UNFPA/UNOPS Executive Board (2021). She was the first woman to be elected as the Chair of the Peacebuilding Commission in 2022. She also served as a Vice-President of the 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly.

As a career diplomat, Ms. Fatima served as Ambassador of Bangladesh to Japan (2016-2019), as Director-General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Bangladesh (2015-2016), and in Bangladesh missions in New York, Geneva, Beijing and Kolkata, and in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in different capacities.

Ms. Fatima also served in the International Organization for Migration (IOM) as Regional Adviser for South and South-West Asia and Regional Adviser for Climate Change and Migration (2012-2015), and as Regional Representative for South Asia (2007-2011). She was also the Head of Human Rights at the Commonwealth Secretariat in London (2006-2007).

Ms. Fatima holds a master’s degree in international relations and diplomacy from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University, United States, and a bachelor’s degree in social science from the University of Canberra, Australia. In addition to her native Bangla, she speaks English and has working knowledge of Hindi and Urdu.

13/07/2026

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