Asian Indigenous Women's Network (AIWN)

The Asian Indigenous Women’s Network (AIWN) was formed in 1993 during the First Conference of Asian Indigenous Women in response to the common experiences of discrimination as women, as indigenous peoples and based on socio-economic class. This was attended by 150 participants from 13 Asian countries. As a loose network of 11 indigenous women’s organisations and 26 indigenous peoples’ organisations with women committees, AIWN has faced several challenges in its aim to organise and consolidate indigenous women’s organisations in the region to engage in all levels and fora affecting their rights and identities as women and as indigenous peoples. AIWN continues to build on these experiences to further raise Asian indigenous women’s voices from their own organisations, to the national and international levels.