WIDE was established in 1985 by a group of European women who wanted to ensure the follow up and implementation of the Forward Looking Strategies that were the outcome of the Third UN World Conference on Women in Nairobi.

WIDE strives for a world based on gender equality and social justice that ensures equal rights for all, as well as equal access to resources and opportunities in all spheres of political, social and economic life.

WIDE’s mission is to articulate the relevance of the principles of gender equality and equity to the development process through research, documentation, information dissemination, economic empowerment, capacity building and advocacy, networking, and the organisation of conferences.