Constitution and By-Laws

• Constitution
• By-Laws
• Statuts GEFDU
• Reglement d'ordre interieur

Profiles UWE Executives

• Profile President
• Profile Vice President
• Profile Treasurer
• Profile Secretary

General Assembly 2008

• Preliminary Agenda
• General Assembly 2007 minutes (English, Français)
• Report by the President
• Report, Vice President on the Council of Europe
• Report, Vice President of the European Women's Lobby
• Strategic Session, Friday, 12 September, Method Open Space
• Proposed revised Constitution
• Proposed amendments to the Constitution by the Dutch Association
• Proposed amendments to the Constitution by the Swiss Federation
• Proposed revised By-laws
• Draft internal policies and regulations document
• UWE Road Map
• Report European Projects
• Reimbursement rules

General Assembly 2009

• Draft revised Constitution

UWE Think Tank

• Power Point Presentation result Open Space and Brainstorm
• Programme of Action by the Think Tank

Historical Background

After the Second World War the European world changed rapidly. Several international institutions were founded, like the Council of Europe in 1949 and the European Economic Community in 1957. In 1952 the Council of Europe had organised the communication with non-governmental organisations by creating the possibility to obtain Consultative Status.

At the occasion of the 16th IFUW Conference in Karlsruhe, Germany, a small group of participants took the initiative for the European associations/federations to start studying together the consequences of the European developments for their organisations. Several meetings were held, the reports of which are stored in the archives of UWE in Switzerland.

In 1975, Jans Gremmee inquired at the IFUW headquarters if and how it could help to further nomination of capable European women in positions of influence in decision-making in the new Europe. IFUW answered that it would undertake activities on a global level only. This meant that for any actions to further the interests of women in Europe, European associations/federations had to bundle their forces at a regional, European level. In 1977 a few European participants at the 19th IFUW Conference Stirling, Scotland, took up the inititiative to realise the Consultative Status for a new NGO to be founded for the University Women in Europe. A proposal thereto was launched by DAB's Gisela Kessel (†) and VVAO's Jans Gremmée in 1978. Several meetings were held and during a meeting in Luxembourg 28-29 November 1981 UWE started its official life.

At that time, fourteen NFAs participated. The Seat was to be in Switzerland. In 1982 the first Executive was chosen, with Jans Gremmée as its president. In 1988, BFUW's Helen Dunsmore was elected as Jans' successor. In 1994, Mary Horkan from the Irish association became president, to be succeeded by Karine Henrotte, Belgium, in 2000.

Consultative status with the Council of Europe was granted in February 1984. Following a decision of the Committee of Ministers in November 2003, UWE was granted participatory status. Under the name of Conference of INGOs, the 374 international non-governmental organisations with this new status constitute a fourth pillar partner besides the Parliamentary Assembly, the Committee of Ministers and the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities. The Council of Europe is the first international institution ever to grant this status to international non-governmental organisations. The UWE is presently a member of the Liaison Committee as head of the the Equality/Parity Grouping.

Contacts with the women's NGOs in Brussels (the European Communities) were established in May 1982, when the Brussels Women's Bureau organisaed their first conference. UWE was present at the following conferences and participated in the group forming the European Women's Lobby which started in 1990.

All documents related to UWE's history and founding and all documents related to UWE during the course of its existence are kept in UWE's archive at the:
GOSTELI STIFTUNG (Archiv zur Geschichte des Schweizerischen Frauenbewegung)
Altikofenstrasse 186
3048 Worblaufen
Switzerland
Phone: (+41) 319217941
http://www.gosteli-foundation.ch/html/homepage_f.html