About WIIS

WIIS is a non-profit, non-partisan membership organization dedicated to increasing the influence of women in foreign and defense affairs by raising their numbers and visibility, while enhancing dialogue on international security issues. WIIS offers a comprehensive set of programs designed to foster and promote women in all fields related to international security, and in a variety of sectors.

Established in 1987 by a small group of women experts in foreign and defense affairs, today WIIS has more than 1,200 members—women and men—in over 35 countries from academia, think tanks, the diplomatic corps, the intelligence community, the military, government, non-governmental organizations, international organizations, the media, and the private sector. Members work on and are interested in diverse issues affecting international security, ranging from non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD), to terrorism, human rights, sustainable development, environmental security, and conflict resolution.

WIIS is a part of the Center for Peace and Security Studies (CPASS), in the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University. The School of Foreign Service is the oldest and largest school of international affairs in the United States. CPASS, which encompasses WIIS and the internationally renowned Security Studies Program, is Georgetown’s organizational home for teaching, research, events, and publications in international peace and security studies.