The Women Development Organization (WDO) is an intergovernmental organization and one of the specialized institutions of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), with 19 member states of the 57 OIC member states. Its activities were initiated with the inauguration of its Headquarters (HQ) in Cairo, in the Arab Republic of Egypt in 2021.
The WDO’s mission aims to advance women’s empowerment across OIC member states. The organization is the only international organization that works on the basis of equal contributions between countries. The WDO is built on four pillars: (i) Women’s economic empowerment and financial inclusion; (ii) Ending all forms of violence against women and girls and harmful practices; (iii) Strengthening the role of women in preventing and fighting corruption; (iv) Women’s leadership in promoting peaceful and inclusive societies.
On September 17, the Dean of the Diplomatic Corps and the Ambassador of the Republic of Djibouti, H.E. Dya Eddine Said Bamakhrama hosted a high-level meeting of the WDO at the premises of the Embassy of Djibouti. The meeting was led by Executive Director, Dr. Afnan Alshuaiby, and Director of Strategic Partnerships, Dr. Hanan Ali Algaai, who shared the most momentous achievements of the WDO.
Since its establishment, WDO has not only made positive changes in the lives of women, but also organized a number of events that served as knowledge-sharing platforms for member states and external stakeholders. These included, their participation in ‘Women in Islam’ forum, regional meeting of the ‘Pink Tank Initiative,’ ‘international forum on ‘The Experience of Uzbekistan and Member States on the OIC in Supporting Woman,’ symposium on ‘The Role of the Creative Economy and Educations in Sustainable Development Africa,’ among others.
When asked what makes WDO special, Executive Director, Dr. Afnan Alshuaib, highlighted: “While there are a number of organizations focused on women’s empowerment, WDO works directly with governments, being the de facto voice of each member state. We are not a non-governmental organization (NGO), but an intergovernmental organization. These factors make WDO truly unique and allow it to be more successful with continued support and funding.”
Dr. Afnan Alshuaib also noted that despite the challenges facing the organization at present moment, the team hopes for the future positive changes, including visits to the member countries: “I would love to visit each and every country, because member states should be convinced why they contribute to WDO, what makes us special and what is our vision.”
Reflecting on the significance of the moment, H.E. Dya Eddine Said Bamakhrama highlighted that the meeting and the active participation of diplomats, officials and guests was another indirect contribution to the progress of WDO and the understanding of the role of women in society. H.E. Bamakhrama expressed his hope that this meeting and the contribution of the Embassy of Djibouti will bring a new positive wave of change to the mission of such a unique organization as WDO.
