As we look back on 2025, we see a year defined by deepening global crises—political instability, democratic erosion, climate emergencies, shrinking civic space, and intensifying backlash against women’s rights. But 2025 was also a year defined by hope.
Across our Partnership, women leaders and movements strengthened their connections, expanded their reach, and refused to cede ground. This year demonstrated that hope is not passive and that collective action is more than just a strategy to create change. Our global network is a source of strength, care, and survival, actively building hope together through solidarity and sustained commitment.
As we mark 25 years of Women’s Learning Partnership, we see that hope taking shape in concrete ways: women stepping into leadership roles, movements pushing forward gender-just laws and policies, youth claiming their power as agents of change, and the Partnership transforming crisis into opportunity. These moments of progress remind us that while the challenges ahead are substantial, so too is our capacity to meet them.
This year, our work reached over 1600 people from 47 countries, empowering new leaders and creating a ripple effect that spans continents and generations. While the immense scope of our work cannot be contained within a single message/communication/narrative/post, below we share a few of our many achievements this year.
As we look ahead to 2026, the urgency of our work is unmistakable. But so is our shared power. Together, we can deepen impact, strengthen movements, and continue shaping a more just, equitable, and sustainable future. Thank you for standing with us, believing in feminist leadership, and investing in transformative change.
Let’s make 2026 just as bold and impactful!
69th Commission on the Status of Women
During CSW69, WLP held two virtual parallel events, one on Accelerating Women’s Rise to Political Power featuring Partners from Brazil, Indonesia, Nigeria, and Pakistan and one on Building Cross-Border Coalitions for Gender Justice in Afghanistan and Iran. As part of the Global Campaign for Equality in Family Law (GCEFL), we also hosted a side event panel discussion to confront the rise of ‘family values’ and define strategies for rights-based family law reform, and a ‘Big Family Breakfast’ where participants had the chance to discuss how family laws can impact diverse families. While in NYC, WLP had the opportunity to contribute expertise to UN guidance and strategy documents, grounding global policy discussions in lived realities from the Partnership.
First Annual Global Alumni Event
In May 2025, WLP held our first-ever Global Alumni Event, an intergenerational virtual event that brought together more than 100 participants from 20 countries who had previously participated in WLP’s Global TOT program, fostering global connection and solidarity amongst training participants and marking the start of WLP’s Global Alumni Network.
Transnational Partners Convening (TPC)
Over four transformative days in July, movement leaders, youth advocates, scholars, and allies reflected on our shared journey as a Partnership. As we celebrated 25 years of collective action, we confronted the rising polycrisis, and charted a strategic path forward. From advancing climate justice and family law reform to reclaiming narratives and resisting authoritarian policies, we developed strategies to confront today’s most pressing challenges.
Human Rights Council 60th Session (HRC60)
During HRC60 in Geneva, as part of our work with the GCEFL, WLP convened in a high-level side event to examine the often-overlooked link between discriminatory family laws and women’s economic participation. Bringing together government representatives, UN agencies, and civil society organizations like our Moroccan Partner ADFM, the event emphasized the importance of striving for equality in the family as a means to achieving broader equality in society.
Global Artivism Convening
WLP joined global artists, activists, and movement leaders at the Second Global Artivism Convening in Salvador, Brazil, to host a session showcasing how WLP Partners use creativity to drive feminist movements and social change. Two of our Partners, ADFM (Morocco) and CEPIA (Brazil), attended in-person to share how artivism plays a role in their work, fueling resistance and shifting social norms.
Three Landmark Legal Reforms
- In Pakistan, Aurat Foundation played a pivotal role in legal advocacy that led to the Sindh High Court affirming divorced daughters’ rights to inherit pensions, and parliament passing the Islamabad Child Marriage Restraint Act raising the marriage age to 18.
- In Mauritania, AFCF trained 75 parliamentarians, catalyzing the creation of a women-led parliamentary commission to advance a new personal status code.
- In Egypt, FWID provided input and advocated for a new labor law that will increase maternity leave, formally recognize remote work, and introduce regulations on workplace sexual harassment.
6 Milestone Anniversaries
- WLP celebrated 25 years
- Bir Duino (Kyrgyzstan) celebrated 25 years
- Fórum Mulher (Mozambique) celebrated 30 years
- CEPIA (Brazil) celebrated 35 years
- AWAM (Malaysia) celebrated 40 years
- ADFM (Morocco) celebrated 40 years
Expanding Youth Leadership
- In Nigeria, CEADER expanded their leadership and gender sensitization programs in public and private schools, reaching over 400 students across Lagos State.
- In Indonesia, WYDII worked across 22 universities, engaging more than 150 student activists to prevent, monitor, and respond to sexual violence on campus.
- In Morocco, ADFM supported young people to design and lead community-based campaigns promoting equality and social justice, and advocating for reforming the Family Code.
Responding to Disasters and Building Resilience
- In Kyrgyzstan, Bir Duino elevated community-led climate resilience and early warning systems at the UN Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction.
- In Senegal, GIPS/WAR joined the PRECABE project to strengthen resilience to climate risks in Thiès, playing a key role by leading grassroots training programs on sustainable agriculture, cooperative management, leadership, civic engagement, and women’s access to microcredit.
- In Turkey, KEDV has continued to work with earthquake-affected communities to provide support and expand economic opportunities for thousands of women through their work with cooperatives.
Strengthening Feminist Networks and Partnerships
- In Kazakhstan, SWRC helped a new organization founded by former participants of SWRC’s trainings, the Astana Women’s Information Center, to strengthen their institutional capacity and obtain its first government grant.
- In Brazil, CEPIA hosted a regional training, bringing together participants from CSOs across 4 Latin American countries to exchange ideas, address shared challenges, and strengthen regional networks to defend and advance women’s human rights–and they’ve continued their collaboration in the months since.
Working to Increase Women’s Political Power
- In Malaysia, AWAM raised awareness about politically-motivated violence and the barriers that hinder women’s full political participation, resulting in media coverage and calls for Malaysia’s government to remove systemic barriers.
- In Mozambique, Fórum Mulher has responded to election violence by demanding the inclusion of women in the national political dialogue to ensure that women’s voices are heard, even going so far as to schedule multiple meetings with Mozambique’s new president.
- In Jordan, SIGI-J hosted a seminar reviewing the results of the 20th parliamentary elections where 27 women secured seats, and they produced concrete recommendations including tailoring training for female MPs and the creation of a women’s parliamentary bloc in order to increase women’s influence in decision-making.
Resources
- Solidarity in Action: Feminist Strategies for a Changing World - WLP (English)
- Guidelines for the UN on the Prevention of Child Marriage - GCEFL (English)
- Training Module on Promoting A Culture of Democracy and Advocating for Change - ADFM (Arabic)
- Map of Arguments for Guaranteeing and Expanding Sexual and Reproductive Rights - CEPIA (Portuguese)
- Podcast Featuring Meetings with Influential Women Leaders About their Positions and Journeys - SIGI-Jordan (Arabic)
- Women and Technology Report - FWID (Arabic and English)
- Legal Analysis of the Death Penalty in Kyrgyzstan - Bir Duino (English)
Blogs
- Progress & Setbacks: Multigenerational Perspectives on Beijing+30 – featuring Jacqueline Pitanguy (CEPIA - Brazil), Gulnara Karakulova (SWRC - Kazakhstan), and Asmae Aboulfaraj (ADFM - Morocco)
- When Girls Believe They Can: Igniting Leadership in Nigerian Youth – by Jess Molander (WLP Secretariat), featuring Joy Ngwakwe (CEADER - Nigeria)
- The Weight of Care: A Woman’s Lifelong Responsibility – by Jayamalar Samuel (AWAM - Malaysia)
- Family Law Reform: A Catalyst For Women’s Economic Justice – by WLP
Social Media Campaigns
For Women’s History Month this year, WLP launched “Learning from the Past, Partnering for the Future” to review accomplishments in the fight for women’s rights, and how collective action can serve as a powerful catalyst for gender equality. WLP shared how the Partnership’s programs have changed over the years to respond to challenges and opportunities for supporting women and girls in their communities.
From November 20th to December 10th, WLP participated in a multinational campaign with six Latin American organizations, led by our Brazilian Partner, CEPIA. The campaign explained how online gender-based violence affects women, the LGBTQ community, people of color, university students, political candidates, and countries across the globe, while offering advice on how to recognize and combat this rising threat.
As world leaders met in Brazil for COP30, WLP launched an online campaign emphasizing the urgent need to confront the climate crisis. Our posts and reels showcased the work our Partners are doing to design effective solutions, adapt to changing climates, and build resilient communities, highlighting the pivotal role women and girls play in solving the climate crisis.