The Council of Women World Leaders is an independent, self-governing network of current and former women Prime Ministers and Presidents established in 1996 by Vigdís Finnbogadóttir, President of Iceland (1980-1996), the first woman in the world to be democratically elected president, Mary Robinson, the President of Ireland (1990-1997), and Laura Liswood, Secretary General. The Council of Women World Leaders is a network of 76 current and former presidents and prime ministers. It is the only organization in the world dedicated to women heads of state and government. The Council of Women World Leaders Secretariat is hosted at the United Nations Foundation in Washington, D.C and is an affiliate of the UN Foundation.