The Anglican Communion began in the 16th century when Henry VIII broke from the Roman Catholic Church and started the Anglican Church. The Anglican Communion is a worldwide church based in 165 countries with over 75 million members. It is a network of worldwide structures that are similar and easily accessible. Over 60 percent of the members are women, which makes for an enormous potential for a global Christian women’s movement. This global network is one of the best delivery systems in the world, especially in Africa, where services from mail to health care are organized through the church.

The Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) was established as a functional commission of the Economic and Social Council to prepare recommendations and reports to the Council on promoting women's rights in political, economic, civil, social and educational fields. The Commission also makes recommendations to the Council on urgent problems requiring immediate attention in the field of women's rights. The object of the Commission is to promote implementation of the principle that men and women shall have equal rights. Following the 1995 Fourth World Conference on Women, the General Assembly mandated the Commission to integrate into its program a follow-up process to the Conference, regularly reviewing the critical areas of concern in the Platform for Action, and to develop its catalytic role in mainstreaming a gender perspective in United Nations activities.