Toolkit

Engaging with Women’s Platform

Women’s Platform connects NI women and organisations to international contexts, supporting engagement with human rights mechanisms and decision-making.

Last updated: Tue Apr 08 2025

Women's Platform is a small women’s sector organisation working to connect the women’s sector in Northern Ireland to the UK/Ireland and international levels, including Europe and the UN, and strengthen the voices of women and girls in Northern Ireland at international level. Women’s Platform is in special consultative status with the UN, and has a track record of engaging with UN human rights mechanisms. A key role for Women’s Platform is also to build platforms for women in Northern Ireland to engage with international networks to gather evidence and good practice to support service delivery, engagement and advocacy in Northern Ireland.

Women’s Platform runs training programmes, and supports the women's sector to advocate for policies and services that meet women's needs as well as human rights principles. Training programmes focus on international human rights mechanisms including the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), the Commission on the Status of Women and the women, peace and security agenda, which focuses on strengthening women’s voices in peacebuilding.

Women’s Platform coordinates women’s sector submissions to UN human rights mechanisms, and engages with grassroots women’s groups and organisations to gather evidence of needs and priorities. Women’s Platform also aims to develop opportunities for women in Northern Ireland to be part of CSW, and is working to find ways for more women and girls to attend CSW in New York. This work builds on outreach and engagement with other women’s sector organisations, and grassroots groups, but all programmes, workshops and webinars are open to all women. The aim of Women’s Platform is to help ensure all women and girls are aware of their rights, and to support women and girls exercise their rights in local communities, at Northern Ireland level, at UK/Ireland level and internationally.

How can I get involved?

Sign up to the Women’s Platform mailing list.

Follow Women’s Platform on social media: @niwep on X/Twitter and @womensplatformni on Instagram

Join training programmes, webinars and workshops; details are advertised on Women’s Platform social media and the website at least two weeks before all events 

Get in touch at info@womensplatform.org and chat to Women’s platform directly about support and opportunities available