IAWRT has consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) The first meetings to form the organisation were held in 1949 and 1950.
[2] One of the founders of the organization, Willemijn Posthumus-van der Goot,[3] left an extensive collection of papers from its early years, which are housed in the International Archives for the Women's Movement (Dutch: Internationaal Informatiecentrum en Archief voor de Vrouwenbeweging (IIAV)), located within the Atria Institute, a major women's archive based in Amsterdam.
[5] During the 1950s through to the 1980s, it was a friendship organization between women journalists on either side of the Iron Curtain, but one which shared professional insights and aimed to promote peace.
The formation of country chapters began under the leadership of the first Asian based president, the late Jai Chandiram of India.
The organisation today has 14 chapters across the world and organizes regional and international conferences, film festivals, workshops and training for the professional development of its members.