From 1997 until March 2003 the Women’s Caucus for Gender Justice brought together women’s human rights advocates from around the world to the negotiations towards the creation of the International Criminal Court (ICC) to firmly ingrain the principles of gender justice and accountability for crimes of sexual and gender violence in the Rome Statute.  In March 2003, after negotiations of the Rome Statute and its supplemental documents were completed, and after the first election of judges, the Women’s Caucus concluded its work.

As the next phase of establishing and operationalizing the ICC  was beginning, the need for an organisation to monitor the Court and advocate for gender inclusive justice through the ICC and implementation of the Rome Statute, was soon recognized.  The Women’s Initiatives for Gender Justice was established in January 2004 in the Hague, the seat of the ICC, and became operational in February of that year with the opening of their office.

Mission: The Women’s Initiatives for Gender Justice works globally to ensure justice for women and communities affected by armed conflict and an independent and effective International Criminal Court.

The Women’s Initiatives for Gender Justice (Women’s Initiatives) is an international women’s human rights organisation that advocates for gender justice through the International Criminal Court (ICC) and through domestic mechanisms, including peace negotiations and justice processes. They work with women most affected by the conflict situations under investigation by the ICC, and collaborate with more than 6,000 grassroots partners, associates and members across multiple armed conflicts. Victims/survivors of sexual and gender-based violence inform the voice of the Women’s Initiatives.

Key Objectives:

Their objectives are aimed at increasing the health, well-being, sense of security, and voice of women, in order to bring about gender justice and an independent and effective ICC. Key objectives and outcomes include:

-More inclusive gender justice in international and domestic laws, policies, practices, adjudications and jurisprudence and building a gender justice field.
-Increased numbers of victims/survivors obtaining access to justice;
-Improved policies, practices and interventions for assistance and security for victims/survivors;
-Greater integration of gender issues and participation of women, including as beneficiaries, in conflict resolution and recovery processes, and transitional justice mechanisms.

Where they work:

The Women’s Initiatives has offices in Kampala and Amolatar, Uganda and The Hague, the Netherlands. They also have in-country focal points and partners in strategic locations in support of their country-based programmes in Uganda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), and Libya. The Women’s Initiatives’ work also includes a legal monitoring programme for all ICC Situation countries: Uganda, the DRC, the CAR (Situations I and II), Kenya, Libya, the Côte d’Ivoire and Mali.