The GUPW was established in 1965 as a body in the PLO with the goal of creating an active role for women in the social, economic, and political spheres of the Palestinian territories.

The GUPW advocates a democratic government and a sovereign Palestinian state as a precursor to attaining women's social and political rights.

The GUPW has established branches in several countries in the Middle East and Europe to further support women's movements through educational opportunities, financial assistance, and more.

[6] The GUPW was officially formed after a meeting was called by AWU leader Zulaykha al-Shihabi in February 1965 to address unifying the fragmented networks of Palestinian women.

[12] In 1990, the Union's secretariat in Tunis received word from several members of diasporic branches about disapproval toward the PLO's sales of Palestinian Family Identity cards.

The secretariat and the Union's members believed the distribution of the card revoked equality and pluralism granted by the Palestinian Declaration of Independence.

[13] In 1994, the Women's Affairs Technical Committee (WATC) was in discussion with the GUPW about drafting a Palestinian Feminist Charter, which was later adopted on February 8 of that year.

[16] Today, the GUPW continues to advocate for the idea that Palestinian women's social and political rights can only be achieved through an independent, democratic government.

She is commonly referred to as the "mother of the fight" due to her contributions to the organization and its cause, which have been linked to growing membership numbers among both Palestinian and non-Palestinian women.

[17] In response to growing domestic violence and economic need due to the COVID-19 pandemic, al-Wazir called on the Prime Minister to enact legislation to combat these issues.

The League of Palestinian Women in Egypt was converted into the Egyptian branch of the GUPW, which would serve as a base for the expansion of the Union into the Arab world.

[13] The GUPW Lebanon branch has supported local refugee populations, residing in the Burj al-Barajneh camp, through monetary donations raised by the German Palestinian community.

The donations aided 100 families who were facing harsh economic and living conditions resulting from siege repercussions and the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.