Forum for Women and Development

The Forum for Women and Development, commonly known as FOKUS Kvinner, is a Norwegian non-governmental organization and cooperation forum for women's organizations working on development and women's rights. Its central purpose is to disseminate information about women-centered development cooperation and to coordinate the development-related activities of Norwegian women's organizations, particularly in relation to partners and projects in the Global South. The organization emerged from a national Norwegian television fundraising campaign held in 1989 under the theme of supporting women in the developing world. Women's organizations, including the Norwegian Association for Women's Rights, played an important role in initiating that effort. Two organizations created to implement the resulting program were dissolved in 1995 and replaced by the permanent Forum for Women and Development. The new body provided a continuing institutional framework for cooperation after the original fundraising initiative ended. FOKUS is primarily an organizational membership forum rather than a consumer-facing brand. Its members are organizations, not individuals. Membership is open to women's organizations and women's committees within political parties, trade unions, solidarity groups, and aid organizations that meet the forum's requirements, including having at least 50 female members and an objective of promoting women's interests. Reference material describes the membership as numbering around 50 organizations and committees. The forum's stated objective is to improve women's social, economic, and political position in the Global South. Its work therefore combines advocacy, information, coordination, development cooperation, and support for women's rights initiatives. The organization has received public funding from the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation, known as NORAD, and from Norway's Ministry of Foreign Affairs through framework agreements covering development and information activities. FOKUS is governed by an executive board elected by its member organizations. A small secretariat in Oslo supports the board and carries out the organization's day-to-day work. Reference material identifies Gro Lindstad as head of the secretariat and Sylvi Graham as president from 2017 onward. The organization is distinct from the Norwegian Women's Lobby, founded in 2014 as a broader umbrella organization for the Norwegian women's movement. Although many organizations participate in both bodies, FOKUS retains a more specific emphasis on development cooperation and women in the Global South. The forum has also participated in public campaigns and solidarity events in Norway. It was the beneficiary of the 2005 national television telethon, with funds directed toward combating violence against women. In 2018, FOKUS and five other major non-governmental organizations organized Oslo's traditional torchlight parade honoring Nobel Peace Prize laureates Denis Mukwege and Nadia Murad, whose work addressed sexual violence as a weapon of war. These activities reflect the organization's role as a bridge between Norwegian civil society, public debate, and international women's rights work.

The Forum for Women and Development, widely referred to as FOKUS Kvinner, developed from Norwegian women's organizations' efforts to place women-centered development cooperation on the national agenda. Its immediate institutional background was a 1989 national television telethon supporting women in the developing world. The initiative was associated with several women's organizations, especially the Norwegian Association for Women's Rights, and led to the creation of two organizations responsible for implementing the resulting program. Those implementation organizations were dissolved in 1995. Rather than ending the cooperation structure, Norwegian women's organizations replaced them with a permanent forum: the Forum for Women and Development. The new organization was designed both to distribute information about development cooperation centered on women and to provide a venue through which Norwegian women's organizations could coordinate their development activities concerning the Global South. The organization's bylaws define its principal purpose as contributing to improvements in women's social, economic, and political situation in the Global South. It is a membership organization whose members are organizations rather than individuals. Eligible members include women's organizations and women's committees connected with political parties, trade unions, solidarity organizations, and aid organizations. The stated membership requirements include having at least 50 female members and pursuing the promotion of women's interests. Reference material describes the forum as having approximately 50 member organizations and committees. FOKUS's role combines civil-society coordination with development information and advocacy. Its activities are supported through framework agreements with the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation and the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. These arrangements provide public funding for development-related and information activities, while the organization remains governed through its member organizations. The executive board is elected by the membership, and a small secretariat in Oslo supports the board and manages day-to-day operations. The forum's leadership has included Olaug Ubøe, Ingrid Wisløff Jæger, Gerd Louise Molvig, Ågot Valle, Rina Mariann Hansen, Guro Fjellanger, Elin Ranum, and Sylvi Graham. The documented presidential succession places Molvig in office from 2006 to 2010, Valle from 2010 to 2012, Hansen from 2012 to 2014, Fjellanger from 2014 to 2016, Ranum from 2016 to 2017, and Graham from 2017 onward. Gro Lindstad is identified as head of the secretariat. In 2005, FOKUS was selected as a beneficiary of Norway's national television telethon. The funds were associated with work to combat violence against women, linking the organization's national profile to one of its core international concerns. In 2014, leading women's rights organizations in Norway established the Norwegian Women's Lobby as a broader umbrella for the country's women's movement. Many organizations participate in both structures, but the two bodies have different emphases: the Women's Lobby has a wider movement-wide remit, while FOKUS concentrates more specifically on development cooperation and women in the Global South. In 2018, FOKUS joined five other key non-governmental organizations in organizing Oslo's customary torchlight parade for Nobel Peace Prize laureates Denis Mukwege and Nadia Murad. The laureates were recognized for their work to end the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war. The event illustrated FOKUS's continuing role in connecting Norwegian public activity with international women's rights and humanitarian concerns.

• 2018

  Torchlight parade for Mukwege and Murad

  [1]Forum for Women and Developmenten.wikipedia.org

  FOKUS and five other NGOs organized Oslo's traditional torchlight parade honoring Nobel Peace Prize laureates Denis Mukwege and Nadia Murad.

• 2017

  Sylvi Graham becomes president

  [1]Forum for Women and Developmenten.wikipedia.org

  Sylvi Graham is identified as president of the forum from 2017 onward.

• 2014

  Norwegian Women's Lobby founded

  [1]Forum for Women and Developmenten.wikipedia.org

  Major Norwegian women's rights organizations created the Norwegian Women's Lobby as a broader umbrella body, while FOKUS retained its more specific development-cooperation focus.

• 2005

  Beneficiary of the national television telethon

  [1]Forum for Women and Developmenten.wikipedia.org

  The forum benefited from Norway's national telethon, with funds directed toward combating violence against women.

• 1995

  Forum for Women and Development established

  [1]Forum for Women and Developmenten.wikipedia.org

  Two organizations created to implement the earlier women-focused development program were dissolved and replaced by the permanent Forum for Women and Development.

• 1989

  National telethon creates the organization's institutional roots

  [1]Forum for Women and Developmenten.wikipedia.org

  A Norwegian national television telethon supporting women in the developing world was initiated by women's organizations and provided the basis for later permanent cooperation.

A Norwegian civil-society coordination platform focused on women's rights, development cooperation, and solidarity with women in the Global South.

• Organizational service · 1995

  Development-cooperation coordination

  FOKUS provides a cooperation forum for Norwegian women's organizations involved in development work. Its role is to facilitate coordination, shared learning, and collective engagement around women's rights and development activities connected with the Global South.

• Information and advocacy · 1995

  Women's rights information and advocacy

  The organization disseminates information about women-centered development cooperation and promotes attention to women's social, economic, and political position. Its public-facing work connects Norwegian civil society with international women's rights concerns.

• Campaign and program support

  Violence-against-women initiatives

  FOKUS has supported or participated in initiatives addressing violence against women, including the use of telethon proceeds for this purpose and public solidarity activity concerning conflict-related sexual violence.

• 2018Nobel Peace Prize Torchlight Parade

  Norway

  FOKUS collaborated with five other key NGOs to organize Oslo's customary torchlight parade honoring Denis Mukwege and Nadia Murad, recognized for opposing sexual violence as a weapon of war.

  Outcome. The event publicly connected Norwegian women's-rights and civil-society organizations with the laureates' international cause.

  Source
• 2005National Television Telethon for Combating Violence Against Women

  Norway

  FOKUS was a beneficiary of Norway's national television telethon, linking public fundraising with efforts to combat violence against women.

  Outcome. Funds were directed toward work addressing violence against women.

  Source
• 1989Women in the Developing World National Telethon

  Norway

  Women's organizations helped initiate a Norwegian national television telethon supporting women in the developing world. The effort created the institutional roots from which FOKUS later developed.

  Outcome. Two implementation organizations were later replaced by the permanent Forum for Women and Development in 1995.

  Source

1. 1Forum for Women and Developmenten.wikipedia.org
2. 2FOKUS Kvinner official websitefokuskvinner.no