The Gunda-Werner-Institute

Working Hand in Hand

The Gunda Werner Institute for feminism and gender democracy is still a very young institute of the Heinrich Böll Foundation. It emerged from the former Feminist Institute and the Joint Taskforce for Gender Democracy at the Heinrich Boell Foundation, which were united in 2007. We merged to combine our forces, achieve new synergies and to develop new political perspectives together.

Together our work will be even more distinctive. We want to

• offensively politicise gender issues 
• critically reflect feminist and gender democratic approaches
• globally promote women's rights as human rights and participation
• support and expand networks, enlarge a virtual knowledge portal
• initiate discourses between science, politics and civil society
• actively impart gender expertise by means of consulting

What should the gender politics of the future be?
Foundation position paper
What should the future programmatic focus; objectives and tasks; concepts and instruments of gender democratic politics of the Heinrich Böll Foundation be? Reflections on the gender political challenges of the future by Foundation President Barbara Unmüßig.

Statutes and supporters of the Gunda Werner Institute
At the 2007 annual general meeting of the Böll Foundation members passed a resolution anchoring the statutes of the new institute in the Foundation’s Charter. This guaranteed the Institute a long-term perspective to fulfil its ambitious objectives. The setting up of the new institute was supported by the Women’s Council, assigned with key powers within the Foundation.
Tasks and staff of the Women’s Council

Developing Feminist and Gender-Democratic Concepts further

The Institute is a multifunctional meeting place and discussion forum, whose purpose is to promote theories of feminist and gender democracy, support grassroots projects and global feminist women’s movements, and envision gender-democratic and political strategies that effect change in social organizations. With varied political perspectives and personal experiences, our organization seeks new, unifying answers to the remaining unsolved questions of gender justice.