The National Women’s Council of Ireland’s (NWCI) mission is to lead and to be a catalyst in the achievement of equality for women. We are the leading national representative organisation for women and women’s groups in Ireland. A non-governmental, not-for-profit organisation, founded in 1973, we seek to achieve equality for women. We represent and take our mandate from our over 180 member groups from across a diversity of backgrounds, sectors and geographical locations. We also have a growing number of individual members who support the campaign for women’s equality in Ireland.

Our mandate is to take action to ensure that the voices of women in all their diversity are heard. Our vision is of an Ireland and of a world where women can achieve their full potential in a just and equal society.

NWCI’s values and beliefs shape and inform all the work we do. They include:

• Feminism NWCI is a feminist organisation. We work to change society so that women and men have an equal say in the decisions that affect their lives.
• Solidarity between women in all their diversity, through empowerment, collaboration and participation of all women in Ireland and globally.
• Collective action, collaboration and participation NWCI is committed to work, where possible, based on collective action, collaboration and through participation, as preferential ways to achieve an equal and inclusive society where there is equality for all women.
• The recognition of care in our society and the redistribution of care work between women and men The recognition and valuing of affective care is fundamental to the achievement of equality for women.
• Importance of human rights, global interdependence, justice and sustainability NWCI believes in the dignity and human rights of all human beings. These rights are universal, inalienable and indivisible.
• Intersectionality NWCI acknowledges the intersectionality of women’s lived experiences and in particular seeks to end discrimination on the grounds of gender, family status, religion, race, age, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, ethnicity or membership of the Travelling Community.
• Protection and respect for the bodily integrity and security of women and girls NWCI believes that bodily integrity is a human right and the right to make one’s own choices about one’s body for oneself is a basic personal freedom.
• Promote women and girls’ leadership to achieve an equal society NWCI believes we must examine the role of women in leadership and promote women into decision making spaces at every level in order to promote solidarity amongst women and the generation of sustainable gender equal societies.
• Right of women to economic independence NWCI believes that every woman has a right to economic independence and that such a right pertains to women in employment or receiving social welfare.
• Committed to build a society based on equality, respect, dignity and inclusivity NWCI believes that women have the right to live in a society where equality principles rest on an understanding of respect, dignity and inclusivity for all women.