Women Deliver Calls for Community-Centred Global Reform Ahead of International Women’s Day 2026
When funding dries up overnight and rights are rolled back in silence, the impact is rarely felt in boardrooms — it is felt in clinics, classrooms, and communities. As the world marks International Women’s Day 2026 under the theme “Rights. Justice. Action. For ALL Women and Girls,” global advocacy group Women Deliver is urging a fundamental rethink of how power and resources are distributed in international development.
Its CEO, Maliha Khan, describes the moment as decisive. “Across the world, hard-won gains in gender equality are under attack,” she warned, pointing to the rollback of Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR), shrinking civic space, and funding cuts that have left many grassroots organisations struggling to survive.
For decades, global development has relied heavily on a small group of donors and institutions based largely in the Global North. According to Women Deliver, this concentration of decision-making power means that when donor priorities shift, essential services — including reproductive health, maternal care, and sexual rights programmes — are often the first to suffer.
“More funding alone will not fix a model built on concentrated power,” Khan said. “We need a system where citizens can hold their own governments accountable for delivering basic services.”
Her remarks reflect broader global trends. The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) estimates that 257 million women worldwide still lack access to modern contraception. Meanwhile, UN Women reports that nearly one in three women experience violence in their lifetime. These figures underline the fragility of progress when funding and political will fluctuate.
In response, Women Deliver and its partners have launched consultations across Latin America, Africa, the Middle East, Europe, Australia and Asia to co-create a “Feminist Playbook.” The document aims to redefine accountability in global systems, calling for power and resources to shift closer to communities most affected by inequality.
The Playbook challenges what participants describe as “colonial systems” that keep decision-making in wealthy governments and a small donor pool. Early consultations highlight frustration that local leadership is often sidelined in funding decisions, even though community groups are best placed to understand lived realities around SRHR, sexual health and reproductive rights.
The upcoming Women Deliver 2026 Conference in Narrm, Melbourne, is expected to bring together 6,500 participants from over 170 countries to debate and finalize commitments. Governments, donors and civil society organisations will be asked to sign onto measurable actions.
Globally, SRHR funding gaps are widening. The Guttmacher Institute has warned that without sustained investment, millions more women could face unintended pregnancies and unsafe abortions. At the same time, authoritarian movements in several countries are curbing reproductive rights and restricting civil society voices.
Women Deliver’s proposal is both a critique and a roadmap. It calls for states to meet human rights obligations, donors to strengthen national leadership rather than override it, and civil society to maintain pressure for accountability.
International Women’s Day often brings powerful speeches. But as Khan notes, “It cannot stop at statements and events.” The real test will be whether global actors are willing to shift power — not just promise change.
If adopted meaningfully, a community-centred model could strengthen resilience against political shifts and funding shocks. For millions of girls and women whose sexual and reproductive rights remain uncertain, that shift could define the next decade.