International Gender Policy Network (IGPN)
The International Gender Policy Network (IGPN) is a membership based, non-governmental organization 
established in autumn 2005 in order to strengthen and foster the policy work impact of the women’s movement and to ensure the sustainability of such movements in Central, Eastern and South Eastern Europe, Caucasus and Central Asia. It is a network of partners, formely affiliated to the Network Women’s Program of the Open Society Institute (NWP OSI) and actively collaborating with the NWP OSI through national offices of the Open Society Institutes and later directly, as independent NGOs, conceptualized its cooperation and structure into common goals and mission.
Mission
Mission: through policy work, to advocate for gender equality at local, regional and global levels.
Goals
- to ensure accountability of national, regional and global actors in the area of women’s rights and gender equality
- to secure equal opportunities to access sources
- to eliminate neo-conservative tendencies
- to fight violence against women
- to promote social inclusion
- to foster gender mainstreaming and enforcement of principle of equal opportunities
Programmes
- Dissemination and further advocacy with the outcomes of the Equal Opportunities for Women and Men Network project (EONET): In the EU pre-accession and post-accession process, the situation of equal opportunities of men and women was monitored in the countries of accession and South Eastern Europe, framed by the EU legislation and policy. Three comprehensive reports were published and introduced to the expert’s public in order to bring attention to the discrepancies between law and practice in the respective area, significantly influencing the development of democracy. Further advocacy work with the information revealed in the reports continues and the recommendations included into the report are creating base for lobbying at the national and EU levels for implementation of legal changes and practical measures.
- Promoting social justice through women’s rights documentaries: In the NIS, a complex project was implemented introducing women’s rights abuse and its shapes by documentary movies. The outreach was secured by presentation of the films and emerging issues at various international forums and festivals, followed by the discussions with represented experts from the region. Further advocacy work with the project outcomes is planned, together with the follow-up activities, Institute for Social and Gender Policy is the coordination body of the initiative, cooperating with IGPN members and IGPN executive staff.