Since it’s launch, WiRL has grown from a brainstorming session between 20 individuals to an established network with more than 140 members who meet quarterly to take forward initiatives based on the network’s shared values:
- Diversity – we are a diverse membership in respect to gender, sector, discipline and region
- Collaboration – we work collaboratively to advance the network’s objectives
- Knowledge – the network has knowledge production and sharing at its centre
What WiRL has achieved in its first two years:
- Developed and diversified our membership to more than 140 individuals (as of July 2023) from different academic disciplines, sectors and countries;
- Established an expert and diverse Steering Group that meets biannually to plan WiRL’s activities and strategies based on agreed Terms of Reference. Our Steering Group includes practitioners, activists and academics from countries in Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Australasia and the Americas. Steering Group members lead on particular areas of activity – for example, membership development and social media – on a rolling basis.
- Developed an ongoing programme of quarterly ‘Kitchen Table’ events that bring the wider membership together to discuss new research and policy, plan future activities and identify common concerns.
- Raised the profile of the network by holding a conference in November 2021 that brought together 70 academics, refugees, activists and practitioners from different countries.
- Produced a special issue of Refugee Survey Quarterly including academic articles alongside ‘field reflections’ by practitioners and NGO stakeholders (published in September 2022).
- Developed a social media communications strategy, Twitter and LinkedIn profiles to share WiRL’s activities, research and engaging in knowledge exchange (@WiRL_Network).
- Collaborated on a Women in International Law symposium on the academic blog Völkerrechtsblog for International Women’s Day 2023 through a series of blogposts, authored by WiRL members.
