An empowering women giving a speech during an event.

Concurrent Sessions

Click on a session to see its abstract and speakers. Please note that sessions speakers may change due to unforeseen cancelations.

Session 001: Countering Anti-Gender Movements: Disrupting the Dollars and Reinforcing the Resistance

This session will examine the funding flows that sustain anti-gender and anti-rights movements, drawing on new research from the European Parliamentary Forum for Sexual and Reproductive Rights (EPF). Co-hosted with Fòs Feminista, it will explore strategies to disrupt these financial streams while fostering collaboration between feminist movements, donors, and policymakers. Participants will gain insights into opposition financing mechanisms and co-create approaches to strengthen collective advocacy and resource feminist futures.

Speakers:

Fadekemi (Kemi) Akinfaderin is a feminist thought leader with over 25 years of experience advancing sexual and reproductive justice across Africa and the Global South. She is the Chief Global Advocacy Officer at Fòs Feminista and has previously held leadership roles at the Equality Fund and PROSPERA, after beginning her career as co-founder of Education as a Vaccine in Nigeria. Kemi also serves on the boards of the Global Fund for Women and the WHO Civil Society Commission, and holds degrees from Wesleyan University and Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health.

Luciana Brito is co-director at Anis, a nonprofit, non-governmental feminist organization that promotes reproductive justice in Brazil through research, policy and legal advocacy, and community mobilization. Luciana and her team are committed to creating social and political spaces that are safe for women and free from violence and harassment. We believe that gender justice and bodily autonomy should be fulfilled for everyone, especially women and girls on the margins, including during health emergencies.

Ngare Kariuki is a Communications consultant and researcher, passionate about crafting narratives that champion gender justice. He is the founder of Alien Citizen Media, a Kenya-based communications agency dedicated to translating and amplifying the voices of marginalized communities in Africa.

Vladislav Velizanin is Advocacy Associate at the European Parliamentary Forum for Sexual and Reproductive Rights, where he works on researching SRHR policies and challenges posed by anti-rights movements. Before joining the Secretariat, Vladislav worked as a communication advisor at the Estonian Chamber of Disabled People. Vladislav holds a master’s degree in political science from Tallinn University. He is an alumnus of the 2015 Benjamin Franklin Transatlantic Fellowship at Wake Forest University in North Carolina and Erasmus+ alumnus at Erasmus University in Rotterdam. Vladislav is fluent in Estonian, English, Russian and Spanish.

Session 002: Rethinking Global Financing: Can Official Development Assistance Be Truly Feminist?

As funding becomes increasingly competitive and donor-driven, how can grassroots feminist and youth-led organisations remain at the centre of the financing process? This session reimagines ODA and global funding through a feminist lens, balancing donor expectations with the need to decolonise aid, amplify marginalised voices, and support transformative, community-led solutions.

Speakers:

Dianah Nanyange is a Public Health Practitioner and researcher with over a decade of experience advancing SRHR, gender equality, and human rights in Uganda. She has worked with civil society to design and implement gender-transformative, rights-based programs that dismantle structural barriers while resourcing and strengthening grassroots and youth-led organising. Currently, as Programme Manager for the Power to Youth programme, she leads a consortium that amplifies the voices of young people and community-driven solutions, ensuring that feminist movements remain central in shaping policies and financing for social justice.

Mabel Sengendo Nabaggala is a feminist leader with over a decade of experience in building and resourcing feminist and grassroots movements across Africa. She has managed multimillion-dollar programs, built strategic partnerships with governments, donors, and civil society, and influenced regional policies on girls’ and women’s rights. As Regional Programmes Unit Manager, her work centres on resourcing and strengthening women- and youth-led CSOs and grassroots organisations across the 24 MenEngage Africa country networks.

Martha Nambuyaga Kavuma is a seasoned public health and SRHR specialist with over 15 years of experience leading impactful health programs across Uganda, Malawi, and Nigeria. She holds a Master’s degree in Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights in Africa from the University of Pretoria and in Public Health from Makerere University. Currently serving as Regional Program Specialist at Sonke Gender Justice, Martha brings deep expertise in HIV/AIDS, TB, and adolescent reproductive health, and is a published author and co-editor of Legal Grounds III: Reproductive and Sexual Rights in Sub-Saharan African Courts.

Pauline is an African Feminist who believes that feminist documentation and consciousness-raising are tools for dismantling oppressive power structures and building inclusive, intersectional, and peaceful societies. Her work revolves around storytelling, reviewing and influencing policies to advance women’s autonomy, convening and coordinating reflection spaces on topical discussions related to Women, Peace and Security, and Women’s Leadership, and developing knowledge advocacy tools. She has worked in Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda, Burundi, DRC, South Sudan, Sudan and the Central African Republic.

Session 003: From the Margins to the Mainstream: Funding Youth Feminist Organizations

This session explores the chronic underfunding of young feminist organizations and the systemic barriers that keep them at the margins of global resourcing. Through an interactive workshop and collective visioning, we will co-create solutions for a feminist funding ecosystem that sustains, scales, and centers young feminist leadership in climate and social justice.

Speakers:

Farah Kanbi is a Tunisian human rights defender, grassroots activist, and researcher dedicated to amplifying marginalized voices and resisting the shrinking civic space in Tunisia and the SWANA region.

Maryam Jamali is an indigenous climate activist, organizer, and researcher working on locally-led adaptation and resilience for frontline communities in Pakistan.

Marie-Simone Kadurira is a Zimbabwean feminist, researcher, and communications specialist based in Berlin. Marie-Simone is the founder of Vasikana Vedu, a nonprofit dedicated to menstrual health and education.

Yasmina Benslimane is a multi-award-winning feminist activist, consultant, and coach dedicated to advancing gender equality.  As the founder of Politics4Her, the largest intersectional feminist youth-led organization, Climate Sirens, a climate tech social enterprise, Yasmina leads efforts to amplify women’s voices.

Chifae Laazouzi is Head of Fundraising at Politics 4Her and Partnerships & Sustainability Officer at Open Startup, a Pan-African accelerator supporting tech and innovation ecosystems. She works across feminist and startup spaces in Africa and the MENA region, building strategic partnerships and securing funding for high-impact programs. Chifae advocates for grassroots, community-led solutions that center women and youth.

Session 004: Financing Feminist Futures: Women Leading Transformative Public Finance for Systems-change

Join women leaders reimagining public finance as a tool for justice. From tax and debt to public spending, this session showcases bold grassroots strategies that shift power, challenge inequities, and chart feminist pathways to systemic change. Organised by the International Budget Partnership (IBP).

Speakers:

Nikelwa Maqula is a dedicated land and housing activist based in Cape Town. With a profound passion for spatial justice, Nikelwa advocates for equitable access to land, housing, and urban resources, challenging historical inequities and promoting inclusive urban development. As a committed activist, Nikelwa works closely with communities, organizations, and networks to advance rights-based approaches to housing and spatial planning in Cape Town’s diverse and complex urban landscape.

Aminata Tooli Fall is the Head of Strategy at the International Budget Partnership (IBP) Senegal and a gender champion across IBP. She spearheads IBP Senegal’s work on strengthening public accountability and bolstering the capacities of social movements to engage in budget processes. Her work centers on enabling women’s movements to influence budgetary decisions and hold governments accountable for investments in gender equity.

Dr. Justina Okoror has expertise in finance, taxation, management, and women’s development, with professional experience at KPMG, Deloitte, among others. Currently Dean at Prime University, Abuja, she was the pioneer National Chairperson of the Society of Women in Taxation (SWIT) and is now President of the Network of Professional Women in Taxation and Revenue Advancement.

Priyanka Samy is a Dalit feminist activist, committed to advancing social and economic justice through a feminist political economy and intersectional lens. As the Global Gender and Intersectionality Lead at the International Budget Partnership (IBP), she bridges grassroots struggles with global policy spaces to advance equity in public finance. 


Session 005: Taxing for Care: Financing Public Care Systems for a Feminist Future

This workshop will explore how feminist fiscal policies and public services in health, education, and care can build the foundation of a care society. Participants will identify barriers, opportunities, and strategies—ranging from progressive taxation to valuing unpaid care work—while challenging GDP as the main measure of success. The session will generate collective action points to influence global policy spaces and strengthen collaboration across movements.

Speakers:

Inna Michaeli is the Co-Executive Director of AWID (Association for Women’s Rights in Development). She holds a PhD in Sociology with expertise in macroeconomics and is a feminist queer activist with many years of deep engagement in feminist and LGBTQI+ struggles, political education, and Palestine liberation and solidarity.

Camila Barretto Maia is the Executive Director of the Global Initiative for Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights (GI-ESCR), leading work on climate and environmental justice, public services, economic justice, gender equity, and care. She holds a degree in International Relations from the University of Brasília (UnB) and a Master’s in Public Administration and Public Policy from FGV, and is currently based in Brasília.

Theo Sowa is an African feminist working on social and economic justice issues, with a special focus on just resource mobilisation, philanthropic advocacy, and advisory work. She is co-chair of the Equality Fund and sits on the boards of the Graca Machel Trust and Luminate. She also serves on the advisory committee of the Centre for African Philanthropy and Social Impact (CAPSI) and its women in philanthropy initiative, Adoye. 


Session 007: Pathways to Resilience: Resourcing Women’s Funds and Movements

Feminist funding offers a powerful way forward for philanthropy, demonstrating how trust-based, flexible, and long-term resourcing can drive systemic change. This session will highlight the Fenomenal Funds collaborative, alongside insights from Doria Feminist Fund (MENA) and Underestimated UG (Uganda), to show how feminist funds and grassroots movements make significant contributions to social justice by fostering innovation, resilience, and collective power. Together, these perspectives affirm why resourcing feminist funds and movements is not only necessary but essential for building equitable futures.

Speakers:

Tasha Sandra Muyira is a Ugandan activist, feminist, and change maker, serving as Finance Manager at Underestimated UG. She is deeply committed to advancing gender equality, economic empowerment, and human rights. Through her work, Tasha uplifts LBTQ+ communities and women in their diversities, embodying the spirit of activism and advocacy.

Zeina Abdel Khalik is a development and gender expert with solid experience in programming, policy work, research and organizational development in critical areas related to gender mainstreaming, GBV, promoting women’s participation in the decision-making spheres and strengthening feminist movements. She is currently the Executive Director of the Doria Feminist Fund, the first feminist fund from and to the MENA region.

Session 008: Reimagining Private Philanthropy: Sustaining Feminist and Queer Movements through Equitable Funding

As rights roll back, who will fund the resistance? This roundtable brings together funders, activists, and researchers to unpack how private money can better serve feminist and queer movements in the Majority World – and to spark bold ideas for resourcing grassroots power and transformative change.

Speakers:

Melanie Judge is a queer feminist activist and author, and adjunct professor of Public Law at the University of Cape Town. For over two decades, she has worked with civil society organizations, donors, and development partners on legal advocacy, strategy and research for sexual and gender rights in Africa.

Jayapadma RV is a development practitioner with nearly three decades of experience advancing gender justice, community-led development, and climate-resilient livelihoods. She has worked across civil society, bilateral aid, CSR, research, and academia, driving feminist organizing, grassroots institutional strategy, and inclusive social change. She currently leads Programmes and Partnerships at South Asia Women Foundation India and co-edits Anchoring Change, while writing widely on sustainable development and feminist funding.

Session 009: Queering the Rules for Feminist Financing

The session aims to understand the specific resourcing needs and challenges for LGBTQIA+ rights within the broader funding landscape for gender equality. Secondly, we will unpack how these challenges are linked to the fractures within the feminist movements. The objective is to understand how philanthropy in feminist financing can be more effective, equitable, and intersectional through collaboration and solidarity with LGBTQI+ movements, which are also harmed by gender oppression.

Speakers:

Bren Kutch (they/them) is a human resources and organizational inclusion professional from the United States, and a trans/queer activist, organizer, and researcher. They have been involved in various co-leadership roles at the Society of Gender Professionals since 2020, advocating for gender and LGBTQI+ justice within feminist movements and beyond.

Violeta Colmán (ella/she/her) is a feminist human rights lawyer and public policy specialist from Paraguay, with extensive experience in gender equality and social justice. She has collaborated with international organizations such as the World Bank and the Organization of American States, as well as feminist grassroots movements in Latin America and beyond. Currently, she serves as the Executive Director of Esperanza Latino Center in the US, where she integrates a feminist and intersectional perspective to support the migrant Latino community.

Session 010: Setting up to win- Building a flourishing feminist architecture

Feminist movements have advanced powerful models of trust-based, long-term funding, yet short-term donor commitments, shifting priorities, and declining public support continue to threaten progress—especially amid rising, well-funded imperialist and fascist forces. This session is a feminist praxis space to dream and strategize together: how do we harness and reclaim collective power, reimagine infrastructures, and build the flourishing feminist architecture needed to sustain the worlds we dream and demand?

Speakers:

Theo Sowa is an African feminist working on social and economic justice issues, with a special focus on just resource mobilisation, philanthropic advocacy, and advisory work. She is co-chair of the Equality Fund and sits on the boards of the Graca Machel Trust and Luminate. She also serves on the advisory committee of the Centre for African Philanthropy and Social Impact (CAPSI) and its women in philanthropy initiative, Adoye.

Divya Mukand works with the Girls First Fund as the Program Advisor for India. She is passionate about girls and women’s rights and has been working to advance the same for more than 20 years.

Session 011: Reimagining funding for collective gender just climate action: driving resources to the feminist movements on the frontlines

We know that climate finance is in the magnitude of billions, ideally trillions, of dollars. And that women-led and women’s rights organizations are key climate actors— though under-recognized and under-financed. We invite women’s/feminist funds and allies to a participatory strategy session on how to secure climate finance— whether from bilateral governments, corporate and philanthropic foundations, and multilateral climate funds— for grassroots feminist actors.

Speakers:

Leah Moss is a senior policy strategist at Mama Cash, an international women’s fund based in Amsterdam. At Mama Cash, Leah leads policy and advocacy to direct resources to feminist movements and organisations globally, working in collaboration with governments, private philanthropy and multi-stakeholder partnerships. She focuses specifically on influencing ODA and climate finance, including through the Global Alliance for Green and Gender Action (GAGGA) and with other feminist funds. Leah has previously worked on policy and advocacy for girl’s rights, SRHR and education at Plan International.

Jayapadma RV is a development practitioner with nearly three decades of experience in sustainable social development, gender justice, community-led development, and climate-resilient livelihoods. Working across civil society, bilateral aid, corporate social responsibility, research, and academics, she has engaged with feminist organizing, grassroots institutional design and strategy, governance, and advocacy for long-term, inclusive social change.

She leads Programmes and Partnerships at South Asia Women Foundation India, is co-editor of “Anchoring Change: Seventy-Five Years of Grassroots Intervention That Made a Difference,” and has authored articles and essays on sustainable social development and feminist funding.

Session 012: Advance feminist cities in care, gender justice, spatial justice and climate justice [Session held in Spanish]

In our session, we aim to place care at the center of the feminist agenda and sustainable development demands in order to identify transformative strategies that overcome situations of social, cultural, economic, and environmental injustice. We invite you to share, reflect, and debate feminist strategies in these areas of debate.

Speakers:

Ana Falu is an Argentine architect, a pioneer in Latin America on issues of cities, housing, habitat, and gender. She is a renowned feminist activist with a solid track record in academia. She has been Regional Director of UNIFEM, now UN Women, in the Andean Countries, Brazil, and the Southern Cone Countries (2002-09). Professor Emeritus at UNC, Honorary Doctorate from UNR, Honorary Member of UNT (Argentina), Ibero-American Lifetime Achievement Award from BIAU (2022, Mexico). Director of CISCSA, in Córdoba, Argentina.

Mara Nazar is a member of the team at CISCSA Ciudades Feministas, an NGO in Argentina. She is a psychologist with more than 20 years of experience working for women’s rights with organizations and social movements in Latin America. She is a consultant on regional projects and a trainer in feminist-focused training spaces, from Habitat to global networks. She currently co-coordinates CISCSA’s institutional project and the organization’s Feminist training center.

Session 013: Resourcing Collective Care: A Call for Dedicated Funding to Sustain and Strengthen Feminist Movements

Collective care is essential for the sustainability and resilience of feminist movement ecosystems, yet it is often overlooked as an essential resource to activists and organisers. Our research strongly affirms that collective care is vital for sustaining activism, addressing trauma and healing, building resilience, and ensuring long-term sustainability at the individual, organizational, and ecosystem levels. This panel, hosted by the Communities of Collective Care Collaborative, serves as an urgent call to action for the philanthropic and feminist funding ecosystem to direct more, and better, funding for collective care so that we can realize a future where care is not only a tool for resilience but also a source of rest, joy, and sustained social transformation.

Speakers:

Ponijese Korovulavula is affiliated with Women’s Fund Fiji, contributing to initiatives that support gender equality and community resilience. His work emphasizes inclusive development, particularly in rural and marginalized communities. He plays a role in mobilizing resources and fostering partnerships that empower women and gender-diverse groups across Fiji.

Mira Zouhairy is a Senior Grants Officer at Doria Feminist Fund, a feminist fund that supports feminist movements across the MENA region. For over eight years, she has been actively supporting civil society actors and feminist groups through capacity-building, accompaniment programs, and care-centered practices.

Session 014: Drug Policy is a Feminist Issue: Divesting from Punishment, Investing in Futures, and Building Community-Based Models of Care

This session explores why drug policy is a feminist issue, highlighting the urgent need to end punitive approaches and invest instead in community-based models of care. Through feminist, artistic, advocacy, and harm reduction perspectives, speakers will share concrete alternatives that center dignity, justice, and collective wellbeing.

Speakers:

Lisa Sánchez is a Mexican activist who has been advocating for drug policy reform for over 15 years. She holds degrees in international relations and public management, and currently directs México Unido Contra la Delincuencia, a civil society organization with 27 years of work in citizen security, justice, and peace.

Andrea Defrancisco is an artist and director of the Latin Latas Corporation. She integrates art, grassroots circular economies, and feminism in community processes with women who work as recyclers by trade. Bogotá, Colombia.

Session 015: Financing care societies: Feminist perspectives on current innovative financing instruments for Global South women facing multiple crises, emphasized by climate extremes

Women from 8 countries from global south will present role of women in sustaining the earth, through locally care-climate solutions, how the current examples of financing do not work to care givers, worsened by climate extremes and finally present proposals on what kind of funding is necessary to alleviate health care burden worsened by climate extremes.

Speakers:

Paula brings together women from the Global South to promote a fair, decolonial, inclusive, sustainable and feminist society. She also works to expand local climate solutions and urban planning in the light of climate justice. She is the manager of Hivos’ Voices for Just Climate Action (VAC) programme in Brazil, which strengthens civil society in nine countries in the Global South (Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay, Zambia, Kenya, Tunisia and Indonesia) to advance the climate justice agenda. She is a lawyer with a PhD in international relations in transnational activism networks in the Global South, a postdoctoral degree in participatory monitoring of hydroelectric plants in the Amazon Basin (Federal University of Tocantins in partnership with the University of Florida) and in energy planning in light of human rights (Unicamp).

Faith Lumonya is a development economist who is passionate about centering the experiences and lived realities of communities in the global South and in particular, Africa in order to shape just Futures for the most marginalized. She has worked across movements and believes that all movements must center feminist politics if they are to radically transform the world, we currently live in. Faith currently serves as the Tax, Trade and Digitalisation Coordinator for Africa and Arab countries at Public Services International (PSI).

Session 016: Unlocking the future of SRHR: navigating the complex world of innovative and feminist financing models

This session explores how innovative financing could contribute to more sustainable and equitable investments in SRHR. It will provide a clear overview of existing and emerging financing models, breaking down their opportunities, challenges, and implications. Speakers will analyse these instruments through a wider lens, considering systemic issues, power dynamics, and the need for coherent frameworks to maximize impact. Real-world examples will showcase how innovative financing approaches have been applied successfully to support SRHR, offering insights for future action and investment.

Speakers:

Dr. Bosire holds a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBChB) and a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B) from the University of Nairobi, an MBA in Healthcare Management from Strathmore Business School, and a Master of Science in Global Health Policy from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine.

Philomena Apiko is a Policy Analyst at the European Centre for Development Policy Management (ECDPM). Her work focuses on regional integration in Africa, trade and gender, African institutions and AU-EU relations. She leads the work on health, which includes a focus on the AU-EU health partnership, the EU Global Health Strategy, as well as analysing developments in local/regional production of medical products in Africa.

Session 017: The Past is Prologue, and the Future is Now

We’re told we are in a “post-” timeline: a post-ODA global development landscape, with a post-FfD set of commitments, and an emerging post-Agenda 2030 vision for the world. So why does this feel like déjà vu all over again? What do we leave behind and what do we risk leaving behind as the timeline shifts?

Speakers:

Session 018: Financing for Gender Equality and Feminist Movements: The Latest Updates

This session will provide updated research and information on the most recent data and information on the global state of resourcing feminist/gender justice/LGBTQI movements. In this session AWID will address their Where is the money for feminist organizations report, AWDF & Komboa will discuss anti-backlash and funding and SEEK Development will focus on Gender equality ODA trends, policies, risks and opportunities.

Speakers:

Session 019: Financing for Development: Mobilizing National Resources

This session shifts the financing for development discussion from the global to the national.  Strengthening national fiscal policies and capacities to address gender equality issues is a key piece of the financing for development picture. However, national actors are increasingly constrained by external pressures, including economic coercion. How can national actors best be supported? What is the role of international financial institutions and regional groups and policy platforms?

Speakers:

Session 020: Global Backlash, Fierce Resistance: Advocacy for Financing Women’s Rights and Gender Equality

Across the globe, women’s rights and LGBTIQ+ organizations are under pressure; funding is being cut, civic space is shrinking, and defenders face escalating threats amidst rising authoritarianism and backlash. Official Development Assistance (ODA) reductions are hitting especially hard. A UN Women survey found that 90% of women’s organizations working in crises are affected by funding cuts, with nearly half at risk of closure within six months. The Alliance for Feminist Movements estimates that, starting in 2026, the women’s rights and gender equality sector will face annual losses of USD 2.83 billion. Yet collective support, strategizing, and solidarity remain powerful tools. This session focuses on how we do advocacy at the national level in global north countries for gender equality financing.

Speakers:

Session 021: Creating Narrative Power Through Journalism and Content Creation to Challenge Anti-Rights and Authoritarian Discourses

As anti-rights rhetoric gains traction, it is crucial to equip advocates and activists with effective counterspeech strategies that challenge harmful narratives, promote human rights, and foster inclusive dialogue. We will explore the dynamics of social media as a battleground for ideas, where misinformation and regressive viewpoints can spread rapidly. Participants will engage in discussions about the construction of positive narratives that emphasize equality, justice, and the importance of protecting human rights for all. We need narrative change to reach minds and hearts by informing and connecting them and, most importantly, by mobilizing and inspiring them to resist authoritarian movements and help build a more equal and fair society.

Speakers:

Catalina Ruiz-Navarro is a Colombian feminist and journalist; co-founder and director of the Latin American magazine Volcánicas, focused on feminist journalism; and founder and director of the training program Creadoras Camp, for young feminist digital content creators in Latin America.  Ruiz-Navarro is the author of the book “Las mujeres que luchan se encuentran” (“Women Who Fight [For Social Justice] Find Each Other”), and in 2024 “Deseada: Maternidad Feminista” (Desired: Feminist Maternity), both with Penguin Random House.

Monica Roa is a Colombian lawyer who migrated to Spain, with over 25 years of experience advancing social change at the intersection of law, politics, and communications. After pioneering the use of strategic litigation to expand abortion rights and gender justice, she founded Puentes, a virtual nonprofit that strengthens the narrative power of movements for democracy, human rights, and social, racial, climate, and gender justice in Latin America. Puentes fosters radical imagination for a mobilizing vision, promotes expanding connections across movements, geographies and knowledges for a “larger we”, and inspires active hope for an unrelenting search for possibility.

Session 022: Beyond Inclusion: Financing Intersectional Feminist Movements in the Majority World

This session explores innovative, gender-responsive funding models that center intersectional feminist movements in the Majority World. Drawing on case studies from LBQ+ organizations in Nigeria, it highlights barriers, showcases proven strategies, and co-creates actionable recommendations with funders, policymakers, and activists.

Speakers:

Assala Mdawkhy (she/her/herself or they/them/themselves) is a queer feminist passionate human rights defender dedicated to gender and climate justice as well as the well-being of communities. A committed Pan-Africanist, she is actively involved in social and political movements challenging injustice and repressive legislation in Tunisia and across Africa. Her work focuses on strategic litigation to repeal colonial penal code laws that penalize LGBTQI people with up to three years of imprisonment, safeguarding human rights defenders through a holistic approach to safety and security, and ensuring access to justice and basic needs for marginalized communities. Currently, Assala serves as Protection Coordinator with Climate Activist Defenders, where she works to support human rights defenders and climate justice activists. Assala is an alumna of The Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy’s non-resident fellowship, concentrating on gender and sexuality research in the SWANA region.


Akudo Oguaghamba Akudo Oguaghamba is a queer feminist activist, human rights defender, and visionary leader dedicated to social justice, gender equality, and the empowerment of marginalized communities. With over a decade of experience, she has championed sexual and reproductive rights, women’s economic empowerment, and the rights of lesbian, bisexual, and queer women and gender non-conforming people (LBQ-GNC) in Nigeria and beyond. As Founder and Executive Director of the Women’s Health and Equal Rights (WHER) Initiative, she has built a leading voice for gender equality and social justice, delivering programs and advocacy that challenge systemic discrimination and promote inclusion.

Her leadership extends across regional and global platforms. She served as Co-Chair (Female) of Pan-Africa ILGA (2013–2018), helped guide the Solidarity Alliance for Human Rights (SAHR) in Nigeria, and currently sits on the boards of All Out—a global movement for love and equality—and Vision Spring Initiative, Nigeria, further amplifying her impact on human rights and development.

Juliet Nnedinma Ulanmo (preferred name – Nnedinma) is a Nigerian human rights lawyer and feminist activist, serving as the Executive Director of the Women Initiative for Sustainable Empowerment and Equality (WISE). Based in Kano State and originally from Delta State, she leads WISE’s efforts to end violence, discrimination, and criminalization of LGBTIQ+ people in northern Nigeria and across the country. Nnedinma’s work spans grassroots organizing, policy engagement, capacity strengthening, and storytelling as tools for visibility and systemic change. She co-created RAFEM – Radical Africa Feminist Movement (West Africa). She was part of the Working Group that convened the first Global Feminist LBQ Women’s Conference in South Africa in 2019, which brought together over 400 LBQ women worldwide. Through her leadership, Nnedinma has positioned WISE as a key convener and ally in feminist and queer movements across West Africa and beyond.

Robert Akoto Amoafo is a strategic leader in advancing feminist and LGBTIQ+ advocacy
across Africa, dedicated to advancing social justice and transforming systems that
perpetuate inequality. With over a decade of experience driving policy change and
movement building, Robert has worked alongside grassroots movements, feminist
organizations, and international actors to shape inclusive agendas that center the
voices of marginalized communities.
His work bridges activism and strategy—mobilizing resources, influencing policy, and
strengthening movements to challenge oppressive structures and reimagine more just
futures. Robert brings a pan-African perspective and a deep commitment to
intersectionality, ensuring that feminist and LGBTIQ+ movements across the continent
are not just included, but are leading the change.



Session 023: How Arts-Based Interventions Drive Feminist Financing and Climate Justice

This session explores how creative approaches such as theater, storytelling, and arts-based interventions can unlock innovative financing solutions for gender and climate justice. Arts-based interventions transcend race, language, and culture, making advocacy accessible and relatable for all. Financing feminist movements, particularly those using art-based tools, is crucial for sustaining inclusive, intersectional, and community-driven solutions that transform narratives and challenge systemic inequalities.

Speakers:

Sobia Ali is a feminist journalist, filmmaker, and activist with 20+ years of experience advocating for gender equality, SRHR, and minority rights. She uses documentary storytelling and interactive theater to amplify marginalized voices and is a session organizer and moderator at F4FF 2025. Founding Director, The Young Changemakers.



Nabia Sohail is a women’s rights advocate working on intersectional climate and gender justice with Christian minority women and girls in Pakistan. She leads grassroots mobilization and capacity-building initiatives, ensuring marginalized communities have a voice in decision-making spaces. Program Manager, Girls Voices Pakistan.


Zeeshan Shahzad is a youth activist and board member at The Young Changemakers, where he supports strategic decisions for youth-led advocacy and community mobilization. He focuses on SRHR, climate, gender equality, and using creative approaches like theater to engage and empower young people in Pakistan: Board Member, The Young Changemakers.

Tazeem Adnan is a theater artist and feminist activist with over 20 years of experience advocating for women and girls’ rights from the Christian minority community in Pakistan. She has worked with leading theater platforms like Ajoka and Rafi Peer as a senior artist, using interactive theater to raise awareness on human rights, gender justice, and social change. Chairperson, EmpowerHer Foundation.

Session 024: The Brain Has No Sex

This artistic session challenges the old belief that women are weak and advocates support based on merit, not gender. It aims to spark women’s self-confidence and remind investors to support talent and results rather than stereotypes.

Performer:

Jeanne Irakoze a.k.a. J@ira la Slameuse. Burundian, Slam Poet artist, she leads the SUPER SLAM & RUHESHI Clubs. On IWD (2025); she has been awarded by H.E the President of Burundi through the Ministry of Gender in recognition of her dedication to women’s rights. She represents Burundi in UN Women RYSC & in Meaningful Youth Engagement Task Force (UN Youth Office). Her motto: “The brain has no sex, If you feel it, express it ”



Session 025: Poetry, Portraits and Perspectives: Voices from the Global South

This session uses poetry, art, and storytelling to spotlight feminist voices from the Global South. It challenges inequitable funding systems and showcases creative, participatory models that put equity, care, and grassroots leadership at the center.

Speakers:

Session 026: Risky Business: When Silence Kills – A Nigerian Lens on Feminist De-Funding and Civic Suppression

The Well is a three-person stage play that explores the consequences of defunding feminist movements in Nigeria. Through the metaphor of an empty bucket, it stages a dialogue between a feminist activist and a “system” that reduces lives to numbers. Minimal and powerful, the play asks: what’s the real risk—funding feminist movements, or leaving women silenced and societies destabilized?

Performers:

Session 027: ‘The Lifeline’: Experiences of Grassroots Feminists in accessing Public Money for Economic Advancement

The Session will demonstrate the impact of the exclusion of critical groups of womxn and girls who are economically active from key financial and developmental initiatives and programs. The Session dialogue will further critically analyse how the appropriate distribution and channeling of public money towards grassroots feminists who are highly active as small to medium enterprises can economically yield better results and increase support and financing for their development.

Speakers:

Session 028: Financing the invisible: women with disabilities at the heart of the feminist future [Session held in French]

This session reveals a major blind spot in funding: the neglect of women with disabilities. Through the Fresque HandiFemme, we demonstrate how the invisibility of these women in funding mechanisms creates a domino effect of exclusion and impacts the goal of equality. Three experts from Africa (Cameroon, Togo, DRC) testify to the realities on the ground and propose possible solutions.

Speakers:

Session 029: EU–LAC Bi-regional Care Pact [Session held in Spanish]

The session will focus on defining the purpose, expected outcomes, and next steps for the adoption of the Bi-regional Pact on Care between the EU and LAC within the framework of the IV CELAC-EU Summit, scheduled to take place in Colombia in November 2025. Civil society from both regions have been collaborating for over two years to ensure that this pact reflects the critical demands and agendas of civil society and feminist movements in both regions.

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