Think Tank

The Origin of the “WDO Cross-regional Think Tank”

The WDO's cross-regional think tank's idea was conceived by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, who called for the establishment of a specialized research center capable of "preparing in-depth and divergent studies that will generate the ideas required to advance the situation of women in OIC member states."

Within the WDO's broader mandate, the Think Tank will be considered as one of the most crucial entities, serving as a dynamic source for ideas, policy perspectives, partnerships, and overall support for the organization. It is planned to play a vital advisory role in promoting gender equality and women's empowerment within the OIC system and its member states.

Vision

A state-of-the-art Center of Excellence to provide policy, evidence-based research, and capacity building, aiming to empower women & girls in OIC Countries to achieve their aspirations while living with dignity in a safe environment.

Mission

Support Member States in empowering women and girls, through:

Generating evidence and research to shape policies and suggest interventions and solutions

Enhancing efforts aiming at reforming institutions and legislation

Advocating for political, social, and economic rights and equal opportunities

Building capacities of governmental institutions, the private sector, and civil society organizations

Strategic Framework

Strategic Goal

The strategic goal of the WDO-TT is to improve the status of women and girls in the OIC member states by providing help to the WDO in ensuring that women and girls living in Member States benefit and attain the aspirations of the development frameworks in all regions, including:

The OIC Plan of Action for the Advancement of Women (OPAAW).
Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development.
Agenda 2062 of Africa.

Thematic Pillars

The overarching goal is operationalized through the WDO's four primary thematic pillars:

Promoting Women’s Economic Empowerment & Financial Inclusion.
Elimination of all Forms of Violence & Harmful Practices Against Women and Girls.
Women’s Leadership in Promoting Peaceful and Inclusive Societies.
The Role of Women in Fighting and Preventing Corruption.

Strategic Areas of Intervention

To achieve impact within the pillars of TT, the think tank will work across four strategic areas:

Gender diagnostics.
Strategic guidance and institutional/legislative reforms.
Capacity building.
Monitoring & evaluation.

Specific Objectives

The Think Tank’s goal is expected to be achieved through the following specific objectives:

1. Support Member States in developing/revising policy frameworks:

Adopting new strategies or enhancing current strategies for women's empowerment and gender equality.
Revising public policies to ensure the presence of a gender lens and mainstreaming the empowerment of women and girls.
Building gender-enhanced economic growth and designing policies that target jointly the binding constraints to economic growth and those limiting female economic participation.

2. Support Member States in performing gender diagnostics:

Using international, regional, and national gender indicators in designing public policies, in communicating women's agenda, and in setting priorities and allocating resources.
Building systems to monitor and evaluate policies/programs aiming at women's empowerment and gender equality.
Supporting the national statistical office in integrating gender statistics and sex-disaggregated data in official statistics.
Designing modality for generating and disseminating evidence related to women's empowerment and gender equality to all stakeholders.

3. Support Member States in conducting institutional and legislative reforms:

Establishing a Digital Legal Library to serve as an information hub on national laws, legislations, and regulations frameworks pertaining to the status of women and girls in OIC Member States.
Increasing awareness and empowering all stakeholders involved in institutional and legislative reforms related to women and girl’s empowerment and gender equality.
Exchanging experience and promoting good practices within the OIC Member States to ensure that women and girls can fully realize their rights, benefit from resources, and access opportunities.

4. Support Member States' capacity building:

Seminars, lectures, and workshops will be offered for governmental employees, non-governmental employees, and parliamentarians in areas including:

Women's economic and political empowerment.
Protecting women and girls from violence and abuse.
Monitoring and evaluation policies and programs pertaining to women's and girls’ empowerment and gender equality.
Communication and media related to women's and girls’ empowerment and gender equality.

WDO Thematic Areas

WDO Objectives

Highlight the role of Islam in preserving the rights of Muslim women, especially at the international fora in which the Organization is involved.

Develop plans, programs, and projects necessary to implement policies, orientations, and decisions of the OIC in the area of women’s development, welfare, and empowerment in Member States’ societies.

Organize conferences, symposia, workshops, and meetings in the area of women’s development in the Member States.

Conduct courses and training programs aimed at strengthening and building capacity, skills, and competencies in the area of women’s development and empowering them to discharge their mission in the family and society.

Support and encourage national efforts in Member States to develop human resources in the area of women’s development.

Organize activities aimed at upgrading the role of women and ensuring women’s full rights in Member States’ societies, in line with the Charter and the decisions

Carry out studies to enhance the role of women in Member States.

Activate the rights of women enshrined in the OIC Charter by working to remove the restrictions that will enable women to participate in community building.

Suggest ways and methods of society’s support for women.

Establish an information network that will enable Member States to identify experiences and practices regarding women, including cooperation with civil society.