Women in International Relations Network (WIRN)

Women in International Relations Network (WIRN) is an initiative that advocates for the recognition, inclusion, and representation of Indian women in international relations, foreign policy and diplomacy, peace-building, security and conflict resolution, and international development through an intersectional lens.

At present, there is a twofold problem: (1) there is a wide gender gap in the international relations (IR) ecosystem in India, South Asia, and the Global South, and women in this field are vastly underrepresented as professionals; (2) gender as a topic in international relations remains side-lined, and is very minimally featured in mainstream IR discourse. 

To this end, the WIRN initiative seeks to launch a mentorship and accelerator program for young women in IR - for students, fresh graduates and early career professionals. Based on initial discussions with multiple stakeholders (which include students and working professionals, employers, and heads of academic institutes), WIRN believes that there is great potential to fill some of these gaps through a structured and focused program. WIRN is also in the process of conducting focus group discussions to help refine these problem areas and launch a pilot program with a partner educational institute.

Women are not a homogenous group, and WIRN's use of the umbrella term ‘women’ recognises that in an Indian context, women from religious and ethnic minorities, marginalised castes, and other gender and sexual minorities tend to face added layers of discrimination and a multitude of social and institutional barriers. When contextualised against the broader South Asian region, this prevents the full participation of women as key decision-makers in the Global South.

WIRN, in essence, is a feminist collective that aims to provide peer support and mentorship for all women in international relations so that they may challenge and overcome structural and institutional barriers.