The Women’s Democracy Network (WDN) was established in March 2006 in response to a growing interest for networking and training among women in countries that had recently transitioned to democracy.  The Network’s inaugural conference, which coincided with International Women’s Day, brought more than 30 women leaders from countries in Asia, Africa, Europe, Eurasia, Latin America and the Caribbean, the Middle East and North America together to engage in dialogue about challenges they face in their countries and to lay the groundwork for the establishment of future democracy networks in their regions. 

From the onset of the WDN, it became apparent that the interest among women to share experiences and become better equipped to lead was truly global.  Most women are just beginning to enter the political sphere, and many continue to struggle to gain positions that will enable them to push forward democratic reforms.  Among women worldwide, there is a growing need to break traditional barriers that discourage or prevent their political participation.  The Women’s Democracy Network seeks to enable women to do this, by connecting them to their best resource—themselves. The goals of the Women’s Democracy Network are:

• To formalize a network of women who have gained experience in political and civil society with women who struggle to take part in the democratic development of their countries so that they might engage in sharing experiences
• To provide training and mentoring opportunities that address the specific needs of women within the regions of Africa, Asia, Eurasia, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, the Middle East, and North America

The Women’s Democracy Network is working in each of abovementioned regions to establish regional networks and specialized training activities for its members.