The Pan Pacific Southeast Asia Women’s Association (PPSEAWA) has been part of the United Nations community since its establishment after World War II, with Consultative Status in Category II to the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).
PPSEAWA is accredited to ECOSOC and the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) in Bangkok, Thailand. PPSEAWA representatives to the United Nations have grounds passes at the UN in New York, Vienna, and Geneva. PPSEAWA is active in UN Women, especially the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), the principal global intergovernmental body in the United Nations exclusively dedicated to the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women. PPSEAWA co-sponsors several parallel events during the annual meeting of CSW at the UN headquarters in New York each March.
PPSEAWA belongs to the Conference of Non-Governmental Organizations in Consultative Relationship with the United Nations (CoNGO). PPSEAWA was elected to the CoNGO board in 2011, and currently is a Vice President from 2021-2025. PPSEAWA’s representative is a member of the Steering Committee for the Asia Pacific region through the Regional Committee in Asia-Pacific (RCAP) in Bangkok, since its inauguration in May 2017.
The Pan Pacific and South East Asia Women’s Association has accredited Representatives to the United Nations on a few committees in the UN system including the:
- Communications Coordination Committee for the United Nations [CCCUN]
- NGO Committee on Ageing, NY
- NGO Committee on Children’s Rights, NY
- NGO Committee to Stop Trafficking In Persons (CSTIP)
- NGO Committee on the Status of Women, NY (NGO CSW/NY)
- Working Group on Girls (WGG), a coalition of national and international non-governmental organizations with representation at the UN dedicated to promoting the human rights of the girl child and advancing her inclusion and status
Continued monitoring of and participation in these United Nations bodies enables PPSEAWA to inform its members and help them identify areas where they can be of assistance by mobilizing local support. PPSEAWA branches in individual countries, also known as National Member Organizations, have local programs to further the education, health, security, economic empowerment, and human rights of women and girls, especially those who are marginalized and vulnerable. PPSEAWA NMOs are active in local environmental councils and movements.
