Expert databases are nice and very helpful, but sometimes, you have to go back to basics: looking into a specific organization’s team or featured experts/speakers.

Here’s a (by no means exhaustive) list of organizations, networks, and initiatives you can turn to when that’s the case. Their websites might even spark some inspiration for your next big story.

Classified by area of specialty, alphabetically, with mention of covered world regions.

General/various areas of expertise

Abaad MENA, a UN ECOSOC (the UN Economic and Social Council) accredited organization that aims to achieve gender equality as an essential condition to sustainable social and economic development in the MENA region (MENA region)

European Institute for Gender Equality, an autonomous body of the European Union, established to contribute to and strengthen the promotion of gender equality  (Europe)

International Center for Research on Women (ICRW), a research institute focused on tackling challenges facing women and girls (Global)

The African Women’s Development and Communication Network, a feminist, pan-African organization with over 800 individual and institutional members in 49 countries in Africa and in the diaspora working to amplify African women’s voices and advance women’s rights (Africa)

The Female Lead, is an educational foundation empowering women to take the lead in their lives by celebrating women’s stories, and showcasing the lesser-known successes of women, in order to support and encourage the next generation (Global)

UN Women, the United Nations entity dedicated to gender equality and the empowerment of women (Global)

Vital Voices is a non-profit investing in women leaders who are solving the world’s greatest challenges – from gender-based violence to the climate crisis, economic inequities, and more (Global)

Climate & Environment

Climate Analytics, a climate science and policy institute engaged in driving and supporting climate action, with an international team of 130 experts (Global)

Women’s Earth and Climate Action Network (WECAN) International, a solutions-based organization established to engage women worldwide in policy advocacy, on-the-ground projects, trainings, and movement building for global climate justice (Global)

Women Speak, an online database full of stories, case studies, and solutions from the frontlines of climate change, an initiative by WECAN International (Global)

Economy

Gender Equality Resource Center, an NGO promoting gender equality for development in and through cooperatives (Philippines)

Human Rights & Justice

Association for Women’s Rights in Development (AWID), a movement-support organization working to achieve gender justice and women’s human rights worldwide (Global)

Center for Reproductive Rights, a legal advocacy organization that seeks to advance reproductive rights, such as abortion (Global)

Equality Now, an NGO advocating for the protection and promotion of the human rights of women and girls (Global)

Girls not Brides, a partnership of more than 1 600 civil society organizations from over 100 countries committed to ending child marriage (Global)

International Alliance of Women, an international NGO comprising 41 member organizations  involved in the promotion of women’s human rights, of equality and of the empowerment of women (Global)

Womankind Worldwide, an organization working with other women’s rights organizations and movements to end violence against girls and women, advance their economic rights, and strengthen their decision-making power (Global)

Women’s Environment and Development Organization (WEDO), an NGO advocating for human rights, gender equality, and the integrity of the environment (Global)

Peace & Security

Conciliation Resources, a London-based international organization committed to helping the implementation of peacebuilding processes across the world (International)

Equimundo, a non-profit organization working on preventing violence by engaging men and boys in partnership with women, girls, and individuals of all gender identities (Global)

The NGO Working Group on Women, Peace and Security, a coalition of 19 international non-governmental organizations that notably advocates at the United Nations (Global)

Women’s International Peace Centre, a resource center to document women’s experiences and viewpoints and ensure that peacebuilding processes are more gender-inclusive (Global)

Women for Women International, a nonprofit humanitarian organization that provides practical and moral support to women survivors of war (Global)

Women Mediators, a network that aims to increase the participation of women in peace processes at the community, national and international levels (Commonwealth)

Gender data

Data2X, a platform that aims to identify where gender data gaps occur and works on bridging them (Global)

Equal Measures 2030, an organization that keeps track of data gaps and monitors progress with the Sustainable Development Goals in mind, to hold governments accountable (Global)

The World Bank Gender Data Portal, a portal with data coming from different countries, across all fields and more than 900 indicators (Global)

Women Count by the UN, a data portal filled with gender statistics showing the progress made towards achieving equality in different areas, and country fact sheets looking closely into how gender-inclusive the national data is with a focus on economic, social and environmental matters (Global)

Science, Health & Technology

500 Women Scientists, a grassroots organization that aims to make science open, inclusive, and accessible and transform society by fighting racism, patriarchy, and oppressive societal norms (Global)

United Nations Population Fund, the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency (Global)

Women in Global Health, a women-led movement of around 6,500 nurses, midwives, doctors, public health professionals, health policy makers, community health workers, researchers, pharmacists, and private sector health workers (Global)