International Women's Congress

International Women's Congress

Formation	1893
Founder	Edith Hart (among others)
Founded at	North Fleura
Purpose	to discuss the political, social, and economic advancement of the status of women
Location	various

The International Women's Congress is a biannual conference bringing together leading feminists from around the world to discuss "the political, social, and economic advancement of the status of women." Held in various host cities worldwide since its founding in 1893, the IWC is the oldest and leading organ for mobilization on women's rights worldwide. Beginning with humble origins in the 1890s, the IWC played a crucial role in the founding of Kerlile as a women's state, the international women's suffrage movement, and the promotion of women's employment and reproductive rights. Although the IWC has faced internal conflict over the decades of its existence (notably ideological schisms between pro- and anti-Kerlian factions from the 1980s onward) it remains the foremost body for the advancement of women's rights in the world. The most recent International Women's Congress was held in 2021 in Grapevale, Kerlile.

History

The first IWC took place in 1893 in Maytown, North Fleura in present-day Kerlile. The Congress is credited with bringing together the Founders of Kerlile; making it an important body in Kerlile. Despite this, the 2021 IWC was the first to be held in Kerlile since prior to the Kerlian Civil War. At the 1913 conference, a discussion on the foundation of a nation led by women was initiated by Edith Hart, then a citizen of North Fleura whose monarch was sick and had produced no heirs. Hart, who was one of the original organisers for the first IWC in 1893, suggested that a way to move forward in the women’s liberation movement was to form a nation ruled entirely by women. Originally intended as a thought experiment, a number of women began discussing the concept in earnest, eventually leading to the creation of Kerlile as a state after the death of the King of North Fleura.

Locations

No.	Year	Country	City	Notes
1st	1893	North Fleura	Maytown
2nd	1895
3rd	1897
4th	1899
5th	1901	Aeluria	Liaville
6th	1903
7th	1905	Aredoa	Vahania	Theme: "Women in Government"
8th	1907	North Fleura	Hartton
9th	1909
10th	1911
11th	1913			Edith Hart first proposes theoretical women's state
12th	1915	South Fleura	Lorentonia
13th	1917	Costeno	Carville
14th	1919
15th	1921
16th	1923
17th	1925	Kerlile		First IWC since foundation of Kerlile
18th	1927	Haesan	Suyang	Theme: "Women and industrial development"
19th	1929
20th	1931
21st	1933
22nd	1935	Kerlile	Hazelton
23rd	1937	Slokais Islands	New Brighton	First IWC in Slokais Islands
24th	1939
25th	1941
26th	1943
27th	1945
28th	1947	Lauchenoiria	Seahaven
29th	1949
30th	1951	Laeral	Lyrene
31st	1953
32nd	1955
33rd	1957
34th	1959
35th	1969			10-year gap due to Great War
36th	1971
37th	1973
38th	1975
39th	1977	Kerlile	Grapevale
40th	1979
41st	1981
42nd	1983
43rd	1985
44th	1987
45th	1989	Haesan	Sanri	Theme: "Breaking boundaries and building anew"
46th	1991
47th	1993	Glanainn
48th	1995
49th	1997
50th	1999	Andhrapur	Navsari	Theme: "Women's advancement and the developing world"
51st	2001	Lauchenoiria	Usera
52nd	2003
53rd	2005
54th	2007	The Nuiqsut Confederation	Ukagavit City	Held in the Ukagavit Free Women's Republic
55th	2009
56th	2011	Zongongia	Sneedville
57th	2013	Sanctaria	Sanctus	Theme: "Breaking the Glass Ceiling in Patriarchal Societies"
58th	2015	Misumi	Seimei	Theme: "Tech and female innovation"
59th	2017
60th	2019	Laeral	Songshan
61st	2021	Kerlile	Grapevale
62nd	2023	Lehvant	TBC

Organization

The International Women's Congress occurs biannually, in a host city chosen by the IWC Executive, which manages proceedings and logistics for the biannual IWC. Unlike other international conferences, the IWC includes a mixture of governmental delegates, delegates of various organizations and associations, and individual feminist activists and thought leaders.

Representatives of governments, alongside third sector and civil society organisations dedicated to women’s rights are usually invited to attend the conference. Each participating organisation and government is entitled to five voting delegates, and up to 20 observing delegates.