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International Perspectives International Council of Women (ICW) The International Council of Women (ICW) is a worldwide federation of National Councils of Women, which work together on international issues of concern to women. ICW is an umbrella organization whose membership consists of National Councils of Women from many nations. The member Councils meet every three years, and between these Triennial Meetings, an elected Board of Directors manages ICW affairs. The ICW General Assembly met in October, 2009, in Johannesburg, South Africa. Rosemary Mallory represented the National Council of Women of Canada.
 ICW was founded in 1888, at a gathering of women in Washington, DC, on the fortieth anniversary of an 1848 meeting of early feminists in Seneca Falls, NY. Forty-nine delegates were present at the 1888 meeting, representing the United States, Canada, Great Britain, France, Norway, Denmark, Finland and India. Lady Ishbel Aberdeen, from Canada, accepted the invitation of delegates to become the first President of ICW. In May of 1893, the National Council of Women of the United States organized another meeting of ICW, held in connection with the World's Columbian Exposition at Chicago, and attended by a delegation of women from Canada. Later that year the Canadian women who had been in Chicago called a meeting of interested women in Toronto, and on October 27, 1893, the National Council of Women of Canada (NCWC) was created. Lady Aberdeen, at that time the wife of the Governor-General of Canada, became its first President. ICW has Consultative Status, Category 1, with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations (ECOSOC), as well as permanent and accredited representation to such UN agencies as the United Nations Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF), the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), the World Health Organization (WHO), and the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP). ICW continues to provide a forum and a network for women from around the world to work together. Standing Study Committees of ICW examine major concerns of the women in its member Councils, and bring to its Triennial meetings recommendations and resolutions, which, if approved, become part of ICW policy. To review ICW Policies (pdf format), click here. NCWC joined ICW officially in 1897, and has remained an active and involved member ever since. Over the years, many members of NCWC have served on the ICW Board of Directors and as Conveners of ICW Standing Study Committees. NCWC was a founding member of the Regional Council of the Americas (RCA/CRA), which brings the special concerns of National Councils in the Western Hemisphere to the attention of ICW. Links: ECOSOC http://www.un.org/esa/coordination/ecosoc International Council of Women Member Countries ICW remains unique as the international voice of National Councils of Women with diverse yet universal concerns.
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