In 1975 the First World Conference on Women, held in Mexico City, recommended the creation of a research and training institute dedicated to the advancement of women. The following year (1976), the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) created the United Nations International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women (UN-INSTRAW).

In 1979, ECOSOC recommended that UN-INSTRAW be located in a developing country and in 1983, UN-INSTRAW’s headquarters were established in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.

Since its inception UN-INSTRAW, in collaboration with governments, civil society and the United Nations System, has carried out research and training activities on different topics at the national, regional and international levels. Specifically, the Institute highlights the gender perspective as an essential element in the analysis and implementation of programmes and projects aimed at achieving peace, sustainable development and good governance.

Among its many research activities over the years, UN-INSTRAW has developed conceptual frameworks and methodologies for measuring and valuing women’s household production and including such contributions into the system of national accounts, for tracking women’s migration and the gender dimensions of remittances, for looking at women’s access to credit and water in Africa, Asia and Latin America; and for monitoring governance and women’s political participation at local, national, regional and international levels.

Many of the studies conducted by UN-INSTRAW have highlighted the gendered effects of globalization in processes such as migration, the impact of structural adjustment policies on women’s access to work, health and education, and violence against women as an obstacle to development and the achievement of international commitments such as the Beijing Platform for Action, the Millennium Declaration and Development Goals or Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security. UN-INSTRAW’s work has also focused on human rights, gender-based violence and the role of women in conflict-resolution and peace processes through different research and training projects.

Research conducted by UN-INSTRAW has facilitated the generation and dissemination of key gender-related information, which has been used in the elaboration of development policies, programmes and projects. Moreover, UN-INSTRAW has acted as a catalyst encouraging other agents, civil society and academic groups to continue with research and in-depth reviews of themes related to gender equality and the advancement of women.

UN-INSTRAW’s training programmes have highlighted gender dimensions and women’s participation in the collection and analysis of data and statistics, the use of new information and communications technologies (ICTs), environmental management including water supply and sanitation and new and renewable sources of energy, gender-sensitivity and the portrayal of women in the media, women’s political participation and governance at the local level, violence against women, and women, peace and security, including the full implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1325.

In December 2003, UN-INSTRAW initiated a process of revitalization and strengthening designed to focus the Institute’s work on certain key areas and re-establish its position as a recognized and respected body within the fields of research and training on women’s and gender issues, and as a central component of the United Nations’ gender equality architecture. This process was guided by the Institute’s Strategic Framework 2004-2007, which sets out the vision, mission and guiding principles of UN-INSTRAW.

In 2004 the United Nations General Assembly reaffirmed its commitment to eliminating gender inequalities by approving UN-INSTRAW’s Strategic Framework 2004-2007, and the Institute’s newly-constituted Executive Board also charged the Director of UN-INSTRAW with the active pursuit of funding from external partners to implement projects and revitalize the Institute within the framework of the United Nations reform process and in order to make it a sustainable, sound and innovative organization that applies good governance.

UN-INSTRAW’s Strategic Framework emphasizes the importance of articulating research, training and information distribution in a continuous cycle of analysis, learning and action, so that research results feed into the distribution of information and the design of training and capacity-building programmes, as well as the formulation of policy. Through its applied research programmes, the Institute aims to make policies and programmes gender-responsive on the basis of concrete research results, the application of lessons learned, and the replication of best practices. This approach allows for flexibility in responding to both existing challenges and new and emerging issues.

In all of its work UN-INSTRAW promotes an interactive dialogue between civil society, governments and international organizations through the creation of networks and the continual dissemination of gender-related information. The Institute has created networks, working groups and other associations of practitioners and stakeholders on various issues, including gender and security sector reform, ending violence against women, women’s political participation, gender and remittances and other issues.