The UNA Women's Advisory Council (WACUNA) functions as an issue-specific interest grouping within UNA-UK.

It provides a forum for the exchange of opinions with women's organisations on the work of the United Nations, its specialised agencies and UNA-UK. It offers advice to, and responds to requests from, UNA’s policy-making sections on issues important to women. It normally meets three times a year in London and invites a speaker to share their experiences.

Membership is drawn from women's national organisations and the women's sections of national and international organisations. Individuals, UNA members and others are welcome to join WACUNA or to be observers at the Council's meetings.

WACUNA focusses on gender-specific issues related to UNA-UK's policy areas: a safer world, a fairer world and a more sustainable world. Along with UN institutions and population, gender is a cross-cutting theme within UNA-UK's policy framework.

At present, UNA-UK's gender work is particularly focussed on:

- Furthering UN Security Council Resolution 1325

- Supporting progress on tackling violence against women, especially sexual violence in conflict

- Promoting gender equality and women's empowerment through UN bodies, mechanisms and initiatives such as: UN Women, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, the Commission on the Status of Women, the Human Rights Council, the Millennium Development Goals and the processes to establish a successor framework to the Goals post-2015

Through its representation on UNA-UK's Policy Advisory Group, WACUNA seeks to ensure that clear priorities on gender-related issues are included in UNA-UK's annual operation plans. It also engages interested individuals and organisations within and outside UNA-UK on how these priorities can be promoted and supported.

WACUNA normally sends a member to the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) in New York.

Related news items, articles and campaigns:

WACUNA member Sally Spear's conclusions from the 2015 Commission on the Status of Women (CSW59)

Jane Tatchell's conclusions from the 2015 Commission on the Status of Women (CSW59)

WACUNA member Sally Spear's conclusions from the 2013 Commission on the Status of Women

WACUNA member Sally Spear reports from the 2012 Commission on the Status of Women

WACUNA member Sally Spear on women in the boardroom - New World Summer 2012

New World Summer 2011 - gender issue

Women and security in Nepal - New World Autumn 2011

UNA-UK updates on UN Women

UN Women in the UK

Why support UN Women?

Former Chilean President to head UN Women

Urge DFID to support UN Women - campaign action

DFID pledges £10m to UN Women