“How much courage do we have? How much more would we have if we joined hands together?” These inspirational words during the opening plenary of the 15th International AWID Forum in Bangkok in early December set the tone for a four-day gathering that was joyous and illuminating, exhausting and devastating in equal measure. The Association of Women’s Rights in Development (AWID) hosts a global convening of feminists every four years – bringing feminists and allies from all corners of the globe to connect, learn, and be inspired. I had the privilege of joining 2,500 people in person while thousands more joined hybrid sessions online with a theme of “Rising Together: Connect, Heal, Thrive”.
Artwork, calls to action, and invitations to co-create and share covered the walls, whilst artistic performances and hundreds of deeply engaging sessions provided information, inspiration and impetus to action. Including calls to disobey every day, it was a week in which we learned of the power of each other’s struggles, we dreamed of feminist futures, we conspired together on how to make those futures a reality, we connected in both joy and pain, and we discussed resilience and resolve. We left more committed than ever to continue our fight for gender justice, for ourselves, for those who weren’t able to be there, and for future generations to come.
These are some key takeaways from my week in Bangkok:
- Feminists are organising in every part of the world. Every day, they are imagining and building a more just future with courage, boldness and innovation. They are meeting the needs of their communities – and often are amongst the first to do so, especially in crisis – and finding collective solutions to seemingly insurmountable structural challenges. The global feminist ecosystem is vibrant and dynamic and even in these difficult times, defiantly unstoppable.
- “We need co-conspirators, not allies. Because if we can do anything at all, we don’t need to make it easy for them.” These words from Hakima Abbas at the opening of the forum set the tone throughout. Active solidarity with those at the frontlines of combatting violence, oppression, patriarchy is something that we should all be committing to. Not empty gestures of support but being willing to resist systems of oppression in our everyday lives – by speaking out, sharing information, taking action, disrupting the status quo.
- Funding for gender equality is woefully inadequate and likely to reduce further. In many cases, not only is the money leaving but it is going to the opposition / anti-rights movements. Despite the odds, and with very little, feminists are driving change in their communities but need partners in this social justice project who trust their expertise, and who can help provide the flexible resources that allow more to be done.
Despite feeling overwhelmed at times, participating in such a global platform was an affirming opportunity for me to witness firsthand, connect with, and take inspiration from, the diversity and vibrancy of movements working toward a more equal and just future, for both people and planet. The road ahead is not easy, but by joining hands, we are up for the task.
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