The Pan Pacific and Southeast Asia Women’s Association (PPSEAWA) , a non-partisan, non-profit organisation was founded in 1928 in Honolulu by a group of women with international concerns in order to promote peace through international understanding and friendship. At that time it was Pan Pacific Women’s association and later when Thailand joined in 1959, the name was changed to more accurately reflect the regional areas of interest to Pan Pacific and Southeast Asia Women’s Association.

After World War II, with the formation of United Nations, and through the urging of the International President Josephine Schiam, the United States took an active interest in the UN and President Schiam herself was present at the signing of the UN Charter in San Francisco in 1945. Through her untiring efforts and after the Fourth International Conference in 1952, PPSEAWA applied for and received Consultative Status as an NGO to the Economic and Social Council of the UN (ECOSOC).

Today we are accredited to the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women and through ECOSOC in Category II to ESCAP, UNICEF and UNESCO in New York, Geneva and Vienna. It has also served on the CoNGO Board.

We have 21 international chapters. The present international members are American Samoa, Australia, Cook Islands, Fiji, Hawaii, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia , New Zealand, Niue, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Republic of Korea, Russia(Vladivostok), Samoa, Singapore, Thailand, R.O.C. Taiwan, Tonga, and United States of America. The United States has 6 Chapters.

According to PPSEAWA by-laws, an International Conference is to be held at an interval of not less than three years or more than five in one of the member countries. Up to the present PPSEAWA has held 25 International Conferences. Kuala Lumpur hosted the 20th Conference and Suva, Fiji the 25th Conference on the theme “Managing the Environment for a Sustainable and Peaceful Future”.

PPSEAWA International is financed by contributions from Individuals, private organizations and PPSEAWA member organizations.

For more information, Please visit our website at http://www.ppseawa.org

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