Annie Imbens-Fransen, an active scholar, feminist and part of the founding of URI, had a vision to create a women's council. The purpose of this Cooperation Circle, one of the first at URI, was to create enduring cooperation among the people of the world, to honor the sacred, to end violence, to promote justice, to build community, and to generate new possibilities for a dignified human life for all women, children and men. In the late 90s and into the 2000s, Annie and members of this Circle produced a newsletter that listed conferences, proposals, and petitions that advanced women's causes around the world. The Council for Women CC welcomed all women and men who wanted to further the agenda for women & girls.
Because Annie wanted to create a CC that went beyond borders and had a global interest, it forced URI to create the Multiregion-- home for CCs that operate beyond borders. Although this group is inactive now, we honor Annie as a pivotal person not only in the founding of URI, but also in bringing about the Multiregion.