Women's Environment and Development Organization

The last decade of the 20th century witnessed women's increasing engagement in the issue of the environment, which was traditionally perceived as a male-dominated policy area. A number of women's organizations emphasizing the role played by gender in environmental politics were founded and became active during this period. The Women's Environment and Development Organization (WEDO), established by former U.S. Congresswoman Bella Abzug and journalist Mim Kelber in 1990, became one of the prominent organizations working on this issue.

WEDO purports that women's perspectives should be incorporated into policies and programs regarding issues that have traditionally excluded their contribution, such as environment, development, and population. It contends that, for the provision of economic, social, and gender equality-and the achievement of a healthy environment-women's decision-making powers, both in governmental and nongovernmental arenas, have to be strengthened. [Page 1571]WEDO strives to organize women from all over the world, including activists, grassroots leaders, and policymakers, to make their voices heard and their perspectives included in local, national, and international decision-making processes.

Mayor Ed Koch of New York, Congresswoman Bella Abzug (center), and President Jimmy Carter during a meeting in 1978.

One of the objectives of WEDO is to organize conferences that would bring women from different corners of the world to discuss gender roles in environmental politics. In November 1991, WEDO organized the World Women's Congress for a Healthy Planet, where more than 1,000 women from all around the world participated and issued a strategy for the United Nations (UN) Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED). The congress produced a document, the Women's Action Agenda 21, which was negotiated throughout the UNCED process and was eventually included in the Agenda 21 and the Rio Declaration in June 1992. Since the early 1990s, WEDO has been working on mobilizing women to make their voices heard at various conferences and forums.

The UN is the major target of WEDO's advocacy work. Both WEDO's and the UN's location in New York City provided WEDO with the necessary proximity to pursue lobbying activities to create awareness for the presence of women's voices in UN decisions and documents.

To incorporate women's perspectives in the decision-making processes regarding environmental and developmental issues, and to achieve economic, social, and gender equality, WEDO has established three major programs: Economic and Social Justice, Gender and Governance, and Sustainable Development. Four areas of activity-climate change, corporate accountability, women's political participation and leadership, and UN reform-are covered by these main programs.

In 2006, WEDO was awarded the Champion of the Earth award by the UN Environmental Program for its work in the area of sustainable development.