Norwegian Women's Lobby

(right) with former NKF president Torild Skard The Norwegian Women's Lobby was founded on 27 January 2014 by eight nationwide women's rights organisations and several experts on the initiative of the Norwegian Association for Women's Rights (NKF), Norway's oldest and preeminent women's rights NGO, founded in 1884. Its establishment was initiated by NKF Presidents Margunn Bjørnholt, Karin M. Bruzelius and Torild Skard. The establishment of NWL was in accordance with the recommendations of the government-appointed Gender Equality Commission, whose chair Hege Skjeie was actively involved with NWL. Its founding president was Margunn Bjørnholt, a professor of sociology and the NKF President at the time. In 2017 Ragnhild Hennum, a professor of public law, pro-rector of the University of Oslo and director of the Norwegian Centre for Human Rights, was elected president of the organisation. The founding organisations were described by the Equality and Anti-Discrimination Ombud Sunniva Ørstavik as "the very foundation of the efforts to promote women's rights in Norway." In line with its human rights focus NWL opposes racism, homophobia, transphobia and ableism. Following negotiations between the Socialist Left Party and the Støre government, NWL was awarded government funding over the national budget. The member organizations include Norway's oldest women's rights organization, the Norwegian Association for Women's Rights and Norway's largest women's organization, Norwegian Women's Public Health Association. It also includes organizations such as Legal Aid for Women (JURK), the Norwegian Female Lawyers' Association and the Secretariat of the Shelter Movement (Krisesentersekretariatet). Most of the member organizations are also participating in the Forum for Women and Development, which focuses on development issues in the Global South. NWL by contrast has a broader focus on women's human rights nationally and internationally, with an emphasis on international human rights instruments. In 2018 NWL and five other key NGOs organised the customary torchlight parade in Oslo in honour of that year's Nobel Peace Prize laureates, Denis Mukwege and Nadia Murad, who were awarded the prize for their work to end the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war. ==Activities==

NWL works for the human rights of girls and women in all their diversity, to eliminate all forms of discrimination against all girls and women and to promote a gender equal society, The Norwegian Women's Lobby has a particular focus on the United Nations system and prepares shadow reports to the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women on Norway's implementation of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women; the 2017 report was coordinated by Supreme Court Justice Karin Bruzelius. == Expert Committee==

NWL's expert committee is a permanent body of experts tasked with making policy recommendations in fields that affect women and girls and gender equality, and works under the sponsorship of the Norwegian Women's Lobby. Established in 2016, the expert committee was initially chaired by professor of sociology Cathrine Holst. The initial committee members also included supreme court justice Karin Bruzelius, professor of public law Anne Hellum, and professor of political science Hege Skjeie, the former chair of the government-appointed Gender Equality Commission. In 2020 Nita Kapoor, Helga Eggebø, Johanne Sundby and Mari Teigen were appointed to the committee. ==See also==