Governance
In 2025, the Women Human Rights Defenders International Coalition (WHRDIC) undertook a significant renewal of its governance structure and membership policy. This shift forms part of a broader transformative process aligned with the Coalition’s new Strategic Framework for 2025–2030. At its core, this renewal reflects the Coalition’s commitment to building a feminist and decolonial future which centres WHRDs, feminists, trans and non-binary defenders in the Global South.
Our renewed governance and membership policies are living, collective agreements among our members, rooted in our shared purpose as a transnational feminist Coalition. They guide us on how we make decisions, hold power, care for one another, remain accountable to each other, to our communities, and to the movements of which we are part, in the face of intersecting global crises and escalating repressions.
New Governance Structure: Collaborative, Accountable, and Rooted in Care
According to the new structure, the Coalition’s governance is composed of four main bodies:
General Assembly (GA)
The General Assembly is the Coalition’s highest decision-making body. It includes all members and affiliated members, though only members hold voting rights. The General Assembly sets strategic direction and political positions of the Coalition, oversees governance bodies and working groups, reviews the annual work plan, approves policies, makes membership decisions and elects the Executive Committee.
Executive Committee (ExCom)
The ExCom holds fiduciary responsibility, ensures legal and ethical compliance, oversees financial and risk management, supervises the Secretariat and elects the Executive Coordinator. It is composed of two global and three South-led members of the Coalition and the fiscal host of the Coalition. The Executive Coordinator is a non-voting member of the ExCom.
Members of the ExCom are elected by the GA for a term of three years, with the possibility of re-election for a maximum of two consecutive terms.
Secretariat
Led by the Executive Coordinator, the Secretariat ensures day-to-day operations align with the Coalition’s strategic goals. It coordinates working groups, manages resources, facilitates internal and external communication and fundraising efforts.
Working Groups
The Coalition’s collective work is carried forward through various Working Groups, each composed of the Executive Coordinator and at least three members or affiliated members of the Coalition.
Our new Executive Committee is made up of 5 organisations which are:
New Membership Policy: Growing a Diverse and Committed Coalition
The WHRDIC operates through a participatory model that reinforces transparency, trust-building, and collective leadership.
The Coalition has now two types of membership:
● Members: Organizations working with and for WHRDs, feminists, trans and non-binary defenders which actively participate in coalition activities and decision-making.
● Affiliated Members: Individuals and feminist funders working with and for WHRDs, which actively participate in coalition activities but do not participate in decision-making.
Only members of WHRDIC have voting rights. Affiliated members do not have voting rights but may participate in discussions in the General Assembly that lead to decision-making.
Individuals applying to become affiliated members is not encouraged and is considered only from: WHRDs from countries and constituencies where there is very limited or no civic space for activism; individuals who have actively contributed to the Coalition’s work in their capacity as staff of a member of the Coalition upon leaving the member organisation. Affiliated members may not make up more than 20% of the Coalition's membership. For the period, 2026 - 2028, there is a moratorium on new affiliated members until this quota is achieved.
We have collectively set priorities for growing our membership through to the end of 2027. We aim to address the regional, issue and movement-related gaps in our current membership. For this, we will not accept membership applications from North-based international NGOs and will not have new affiliated members in 2026-2027.
