Description

The Huairou Commission is a global membership and partnership coalition that empowers grassroots women's organizations to enhance their community development practice and to exercise collective political power at the global level.

Driven by grassroots women's organizations from around the world, the members and partners of the Huairou Commission believe it is in the best interest of local communities and the global development field for grassroots women leaders to expand their participation and leadership in community development work on the issues that affect their daily lives. Huairou Commission members and partners believe grassroots women's participation in local to global decision-making is a reliable route to achieving gender equitable, pro-poor policies and investments.

The Huairou Commission is structured as a global membership coalition of women's networks, non governmental and grassroots women's organizations in 54 countries. HC has institutional and individual partners who share our political vision and commit to concrete, ongoing work with the Huairou Commission, leveraging and sharing their credibility, information and resources to advance grassroots women's position and priorities. HC establishes and models transformative partnerships between grassroots women and professionals.

The majority of the Huairou Commission's work takes place through four campaigns: AIDS, Community
Resilience, Governance and Land & Housing. These Campaigns are identified in a bottom-up way from the
work and interest of grassroots women's organizations in our membership. Campaign members are
grassroots groups, NGOs and other partners who use thematic Campaigns as collective organizing spaces to
pilot and local exchange practices within and across borders and advocate on for policy change.

Established in 1995 at the 4th World Conference on Women in Beijing, the Huairou Commission has been
committed since its founding to grounding the global women's movement in grassroots community
development issues and to ensuring that women are central in the human settlements field. Therefore, we
also position grassroots women in important global processes beyond our Campaigns. Through the Huairou
Commission, grassroots women have participated regularly in UN Habitat conferences and the UN Commission
on the Status of Women since 1996. Most recently, we brought grassroots women's voices and positions into
the Gender Equality Architecture Reform (GEAR) advocacy which led to the historic creation of the new UN
women's agency - UN Women, in 2010.

Within its activities and daily work, the Huairou Commission builds deep relationships among its members,
creating a culture of shared values and mutual respect across nationalities, ethnicities, race, class and religion.

The Huairou Commission Coordinating Council, the main governing structure of the Huairou Commission, is
made up of representatives from its seven main Member Networks: Federacion de Mujeres Municipalistas,
GROOTS International, Information Center of the Independent Women's Forum, International Council of
Women, Women and Habitat Network - Latin America and the Caribbean, Women and Peace Network and
Women in Cities International.

The Huairou Commission holds consultative status with the UN and actively participates in UN conferences
and processes. Our global secretariat is located in Brooklyn, New York City.