INWES is a global network that connects organizations supporting women in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). It reaches over 250,000 members across 60 countries and works to advance the full and effective participation of women and girls in all areas of STEM, aiming to help build a better future.
INWES has organized the International Conference of Women Engineers and Scientists (ICWES), held every three years since 1964. In July 2002, ICWES delegates supported the formation of INWES, which was officially incorporated in April 2003 as a non-profit under Canadian law.
Through international partnerships with institutions, companies, and individual members, INWES addresses key challenges facing women in STEM—such as workplace conditions, sustainable development, and gender equity—and works to raise global awareness of these critical issues.
Become an official NGO partner with UNESCO in 2008
Have Had consultative status with ECOSOC since 2017
Admitted as observers to the UNFCCC in 2019
In 2008, INWES encouraged the creation of regional networks to improve communication, promote activities within similar time zones, and address region-specific issues. The goal was to help women around the world reach their full potential in STEM by fostering stronger local connections.
The first of these regional networks was APNN, proposed by the Korean Women Scientists and Engineers (KWSE) during ICWES14 in Lille, France. KWSE, together with support from other INWES members in the Asia-Pacific region, led the initiative to create a localized network that could better serve the needs of women in science and engineering across the region.
That same year, the formation of APNN began with three main goals:
This joint effort led to the INWES Asian Network Workshop in Busan, Korea, in 2009, which laid the groundwork for APNN. The network was officially launched in 2011 at ICWES15 in Adelaide, Australia.
Today, INWES has established five regional networks: the Asia Pacific Nation Network (APNN), the African Regional Network (ARN), INWES Europe, the Middle East and North Africa Network (MENA), and the Latin America and Caribbean Network (LAMAC).
