Committees & Working Groups

GWI Committees play a vital role within the organisation.  Here is a brief description of their function:

International Fellowships Committee

The Fellowships Committee reviews applications for GWI fellowships and grants and selects the candidates to be recommended to the GWI Board of Officers to receive awards. Members are expected to assess applications submitted to the GWI (previously IFUW) fellowships competition by finalists from the national affiliates and independent members.

 

Finance Committee

The Finance Committee advises on all GWI financial policy and administration; prepares annual estimates for the approval of the General Assembly, supervises the annual expenditure of GWI and the use and investment of its funds, and is responsible for ensuring that the expenditure of GWI remains within the terms of the budget approved by the General Assembly.

 

Education Committee

The Education Committee, previously known as the Status of Women Committee, plans and promotes programmes that carry out the purposes, projects and resolutions of GWI and facilitates liaison with international and inter-governmental bodies; is responsible for planning the GWI action theme for the triennium and for providing a conceptual outline, implementation guidelines for national affiliates’ study and action, resource material and website material, as appropriate. The Committee also coordinates the interdisciplinary seminars and workshops at GWI Conferences and highlights projects and triennial theme activities showing best practice.

 

Membership Committee

The Membership Committee advises the GWI Board of Officers on membership policy and the admission of new affiliates; promotes membership growth; encourages the formation of new groups of graduate women and reviews all applications for affiliation; provides guidance to new and established national affiliates on the development of sound organisational structures and practices; provides advice in drawing up constitutions and examines the constitutions of associations applying for membership to ensure that they meet GWI requirements; examines proposals for amendments to constitutions and by-laws of affiliated NFAs; examines academic qualifications submitted by applying or affiliated associations as suitable to provide eligibility for GWI membership.

 

Resolutions Committee

The Resolutions Committee oversees the call for resolutions to the General Assembly; receives proposed resolutions, encourages joint submissions, checks for conformity in structure and wording and prepares final versions of resolutions for circulation to national affiliates. The Committee assists in the preparation of amendments, and works with staff to assemble a consensus document for distribution to delegates prior to the final voting session at the General Assembly. Between Conferences the Committee works closely with the Education Committee, the Special Committee for Project Development and the UN Representatives in relating the resolutions to the implementation of activities by GWI and national affiliates.

 

Hegg Hoffet Fund Committee

The Hegg Hoffet Committee oversees the The Hegg Hoffet Fund for Displaced Women Graduates and deals with applications for assistance from graduate women (in special cases tertiary women students) who have been displaced as a result of war or political upheaval, natural disasters, or other serious emergencies. They award short term grants for required courses for re-entry into the candidates’ professional fields, retraining courses if the candidate is not able to practise her previous profession, and courses for integration into the new country of residence. They also correspond with grantees to follow their progress and offer moral support. In addition, they develop initiatives to publicize grant availability and solicit funds for future grants.

 

Project Development Committee

The Special Committee on Project Development assists GWI affiliates in the development and implementation of viable, sustainable community development, capacity building (e.g. membership or leadership training) and income-generating projects. Committee members are expected to help with the initiation, assessment, monitoring and evaluation of projects and may be called upon to offer assistance in the screening and developing of funding proposals, including those for the Bina Roy Partners in Development Programme.