Worldwide concerns can no longer be addressed effectively without acknowledging the centrality of half of humanity to solving them. The global Women’s Movement persists in its growth through desperate need and determination, but with limited resources, often inadequate infrastructure, and support too small to permit the institutional development that is essential to truly invest in women.

The Sisterhood is Global Institute (SIGI), an international nonprofit NGO with Consultative Status to the United Nations, is creating a dynamic global communications network through which an umbrella of NGO interest, advice, contacts, and support can collectively be mobilized for greater, more cost-effective impact in connecting and empowering the global Women’s Movement, ensuring:

• An "always on" movement, enabling women and women's groups to contribute and participate, anytime, from anywhere;
• An opportunity for sustained cross-organizational communication and issue-based coalition-building;
• Grassroots empowerment resulting in a greater integration of local activism and global advocacy.

Founded in 1984 by Robin Morgan (US), the late Simone de Beauvoir (France), and women from 80 other countries, The Institute has played a leading policy-formulator, strategist, and activist role in the evolution of the international Women’s Movement for almost 26 years. 

The Institute spun off from the book Sisterhood Is Global: The International Women's Movement Anthology, compiled and edited by Morgan. At publication, Morgan organized the first ever Global Feminist Strategy Meeting. During that assembly, de Beauvoir (France) and Morgan (US), together with women from Barbados, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Finland, Fiji, Greece, Italy, India, Kuwait, Libya, Mexico, Nepal, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Palestine/Israel, Poland, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Zambia, founded The Institute as the first international feminist think-tank and pledged to visionary yet pragmatic action in support of women's rights, freedoms, and power.

Among its many activities, The Institute pioneered the first Urgent Acton Alerts regarding women’s rights; the first global campaign to make visible women's unpaid labor in national accounts; and the first women’s rights manuals (in 12 languages) specifically for Muslim societies.

Original plans called for The Institute to rotate location every five years. Accordingly, The Institute spent its first five years in New York under the Executive Directorship of Karen Berry; the next five in New Zealand, led by former NZ Member of Parliament Marilyn J. Waring; it then moved to Maryland, US, under Mahnaz Afkhami (Iran); and thence to Montreal, Canada, with Greta Hofmann Nemiroff at the helm.

You can make this happen with a tax-deductible gift to The Sisterhood is Global Institute.