About the WLD-History.net Website
Note from the author.
This is the story of Women, Law and Development in website format.
It had been suggested to me numerous times over the years to write up the story of WLD, to tell of its origins and evolution in a book to be available to anyone, but particularly current or future women's rights activists, advocates, defenders, etc. participating in organizations with roots in the 1985 Third World Forum on Women, Law and Development in Nairobi, Kenya. Three dynamic regional organizations in Asia, Africa and Latin America claim roots in this initiative more than 30 years later. The membership and leadership in these organizations have expanded and changed over the years so that the institutional memory of their beginnings may no longer be known by the current affiliates. These pages will recall how that vision was articulated decades ago. The website covers the story of the three organizations within the WLD network up to the point that they were established and functioning on their own, describing both the process of organization and the substance of their vision. A link to their websites at the end of the section recounting their development process brings the reader in contact with the organization today.
Even though the WLD story was never told in a paper and ink publication, this website, wld-history.net, provides a contemporary way of doing so. Relating the history digitally with text and photos, supplemented by scanned documents, publications and training materials on women's rights issues and strategies, brings WLD to life in context better than hundreds of pages of black type on white paper ever could. Moreover, the website version not only reiterates the original inspiration and goals of WLD outlined by the third world participants in the original forum and the regional organizations the forum generated, but makes directly available books and educational tools that are still relevant, but no longer in print. All content on this website is free for anyone to download.
Website organization
Each menu item contains a cover page with an introduction to the topic at hand and links to various sub-topics. For those who wish a full view of the entire site, a website map with links is included.
I recommended reading the sections in sequence as each section builds on what came before.
HOME Introduces the site and offers links to pages about WLD, the website and the author.
BEGINNINGS relates the roots of the WLD concept in two projects, a legal services project in Central America and the organization and outcomes of the Third World Forum on Women, Law and Development. 1979-1985
ORGANIZING recounts the process of developing the three regional organizations from the Nairobi Forum to their establishment. 1985-1990
RESEARCH describes the research process and production of materials on the substantive themes of "Violence Against Women," "Increasing Awareness about Rights," and "Women's Rights - Human Rights," with links to relevant books for download. 1990-2000
CAPACITY BUILDING covers the development of women's rights advocates, including the training curriculum and international courses with links to the books and training materials for download. 1997- 2005
PUBLICATIONS lists all WLD publications and provides links for download.
CHRONOLOGY lists key dates and events in WLD's history.
REFLECTIONS offers some final thoughts about WLD
LINKS lists current WLD and other women's rights organizations with links to their websites.
WEBSITE MAP provides quick links to all pages and sub-pages on the site.
BLOG will be a periodic offering allowing comments and reader interaction.
Verification and sources
To develop these pages I relied on organizational reports, documents, publications, photos and saved personal correspondence. Where possible, I cross referenced my memory of events with others who were also there and I checked dates in my old passports to confirm my presence at various places and times. Most events can be verified by reference to the photographs and the numerous publications available here.
In my telling of the activities that led up to the establishment of the three regional organizations I identify by name, where possible, the women who played key roles in planning and development of WLD at various points. I also name, where possible, the people in the photographs that supplement the text. These photos are from my personal collection, which, unfortunately, is not a complete as I would like and does not cover every critical event or person. If I have missed any names, it is due to lack of documentation—or memory.
I invite anyone who might be able to add to this history with their own photos to share them with us. And I also ask for assistance in identifying missing names of people in the photos.
I hope you will enjoy reading this story.
This is the story of Women, Law and Development in website format.
It had been suggested to me numerous times over the years to write up the story of WLD, to tell of its origins and evolution in a book to be available to anyone, but particularly current or future women's rights activists, advocates, defenders, etc. participating in organizations with roots in the 1985 Third World Forum on Women, Law and Development in Nairobi, Kenya. Three dynamic regional organizations in Asia, Africa and Latin America claim roots in this initiative more than 30 years later. The membership and leadership in these organizations have expanded and changed over the years so that the institutional memory of their beginnings may no longer be known by the current affiliates. These pages will recall how that vision was articulated decades ago. The website covers the story of the three organizations within the WLD network up to the point that they were established and functioning on their own, describing both the process of organization and the substance of their vision. A link to their websites at the end of the section recounting their development process brings the reader in contact with the organization today.
Even though the WLD story was never told in a paper and ink publication, this website, wld-history.net, provides a contemporary way of doing so. Relating the history digitally with text and photos, supplemented by scanned documents, publications and training materials on women's rights issues and strategies, brings WLD to life in context better than hundreds of pages of black type on white paper ever could. Moreover, the website version not only reiterates the original inspiration and goals of WLD outlined by the third world participants in the original forum and the regional organizations the forum generated, but makes directly available books and educational tools that are still relevant, but no longer in print. All content on this website is free for anyone to download.
Website organization
Each menu item contains a cover page with an introduction to the topic at hand and links to various sub-topics. For those who wish a full view of the entire site, a website map with links is included.
I recommended reading the sections in sequence as each section builds on what came before.
HOME Introduces the site and offers links to pages about WLD, the website and the author.
BEGINNINGS relates the roots of the WLD concept in two projects, a legal services project in Central America and the organization and outcomes of the Third World Forum on Women, Law and Development. 1979-1985
ORGANIZING recounts the process of developing the three regional organizations from the Nairobi Forum to their establishment. 1985-1990
RESEARCH describes the research process and production of materials on the substantive themes of "Violence Against Women," "Increasing Awareness about Rights," and "Women's Rights - Human Rights," with links to relevant books for download. 1990-2000
CAPACITY BUILDING covers the development of women's rights advocates, including the training curriculum and international courses with links to the books and training materials for download. 1997- 2005
PUBLICATIONS lists all WLD publications and provides links for download.
CHRONOLOGY lists key dates and events in WLD's history.
REFLECTIONS offers some final thoughts about WLD
LINKS lists current WLD and other women's rights organizations with links to their websites.
WEBSITE MAP provides quick links to all pages and sub-pages on the site.
BLOG will be a periodic offering allowing comments and reader interaction.
Verification and sources
To develop these pages I relied on organizational reports, documents, publications, photos and saved personal correspondence. Where possible, I cross referenced my memory of events with others who were also there and I checked dates in my old passports to confirm my presence at various places and times. Most events can be verified by reference to the photographs and the numerous publications available here.
In my telling of the activities that led up to the establishment of the three regional organizations I identify by name, where possible, the women who played key roles in planning and development of WLD at various points. I also name, where possible, the people in the photographs that supplement the text. These photos are from my personal collection, which, unfortunately, is not a complete as I would like and does not cover every critical event or person. If I have missed any names, it is due to lack of documentation—or memory.
I invite anyone who might be able to add to this history with their own photos to share them with us. And I also ask for assistance in identifying missing names of people in the photos.
I hope you will enjoy reading this story.
