Policy & Advocacy
Policy & Advocacy
Our Advocacy team drives transformative change for gender equality and women’s rights by prioritizing intersectional, rights-based, and feminist approaches to public policies, funding, and operations. We combine comprehensive, evidence-based expertise with rigorous analysis to structure gender-equitable laws and government policies.
We work with governments around the world to identify gender inequalities and develop solutions that can be implemented through policies and actions. We are proud to have influenced policy within regional governments and international organizations like the United Nations. Our current portfolio includes women’s economic empowerment, sexual and reproductive health and rights, feminist foreign policy, Generation Equality Forum (GEF), feminist United Nations, and multilateral consultations at the UN, World Bank, IMF, W7, and W20.
How We Work
Sound public policies are rooted in evidence: If gender-transformative policy change is to be achieved, policymakers, advocates, and thought leaders must have a credible evidence base from which to develop sustainable solutions.
As the world’s premier research institute advancing gender equality, ICRW draws on the expertise of researchers across various issue areas and disciplines to inform policy initiatives at the national (USA, India, and Uganda), regional (Africa, Asia), and international levels (United Nations, World Bank). Our policy team works with researchers across the globe to identify policy solutions and advocate for meaningful, measurable results. We educate policymakers through direct outreach, lead and participate in issue-based coalitions and provide technical assistance to government officials and advocates around the world.
Through its evidence-based policy advocacy, ICRW has put issues like child marriage, feminist foreign policy, and HIV stigma on the map. Our initial review of evaluated solutions to end child marriage influenced policy at the UN, across numerous South Asian Governments, and in Washington, among others. Our HIV experts developed UN indicators for reducing HIV stigma among women and girls and shaped flagship HIV reduction efforts at the U.S. Department of State. We have advocated for policies to end gender-based violence in India and the United States and evaluated the impact of the former. ICRW has consultative status at the United Nations, through which we have shaped resolutions and dialogue from the General Assembly to the Commission on the Status of Women.
Today, ICRW is uniquely poised to bring evidence-based solutions forward and to advocate for gender equality globally. With offices in the United States, India, Kenya, and Uganda, ICRW provides truly global advocacy at the United Nations and also regional and national advocacy in North America, Asia, and Africa.
ICRW also serves as the Co-Chair of the U.S. chapter of Girls Not Brides. For the latest resources from the coalition, click here.
Meet Our Experts
Kelsey Harris
Foteini Papagioti
Samira Damavandi
