In December 2024, more than 4,100 feminists from 160 countries converged in Bangkok and online for the 15th AWID International Forum. It was the first time since 2016 that such a gathering had been possible, and the anticipation was immense. Expectations were shaped not only by the Forum’s long absence but by the profound shifts in global context since then: the intensification of authoritarianism, the climate emergency, far-right backlash, war, and attacks on both women’s rights and gender justice. Into this landscape, the Forum arrived as a space of reconnection, reimagining, and resistance.
Over 85% of participants were attending an AWID Forum for the first time, with more than 40% under 35 years old. The scale and diversity of transnational feminist organising was on full display. Movements that have been less visible at previous Forums — including those working on caste justice, drug policy and harm reduction, HIV, disability justice, and digital rights — were strongly represented. Their participation deepened the richness of dialogue and broadened the spectrum of voices, strategies, and lived experiences shaping collective feminist agendas.
The experience for many first-time participants started with a sense of being overwhelmed —the size of the space, the hundreds of sessions, the multiplicity of perspectives. But over the course of the event, what emerged was a sense of belonging. Through encounters with feminists across borders and movements, many spoke of overcoming self-doubt, finding new strategies, and building connections to sustain their work beyond the Forum. One participant said the Forum “provided a space for radical personal transformation, mutual learning, and collective dreaming…a space that held the warmth of belonging.”
The Forum’s programme illustrated the depth and range of the issues, struggles, victories, and learnings of contemporary feminist movements. Discussions examined the leadership of women with disabilities in climate justice, explored feminist visions for equitable energy transitions, and challenged dominant models of care economies. Sex workers’ rights groups facilitated sessions on digital security and autonomy, emphasising how technology can both liberate and endanger. Activists from Palestine, Myanmar, Sudan, and Lebanon drew connections between colonialism, patriarchy, and capitalism, insisting that feminist solidarity must remain global and intersectional.
Equally important was the Forum’s design as a space of care. From morning grounding practices and qigong sessions to a low sensory zone offering quiet and counselling, AWID recognised that global convenings are not only about strategy but also about the emotional and physical wellbeing of activists. Accessibility was taken seriously: the venue was wheelchair accessible, translation was available in Thai, Arabic, Spanish, French, and dozens more languages through AI tools, and COVID-19 precautions were implemented. For many, this set a new benchmark for what accessibility and community care should look like in feminist convenings.
The Forum also opened channels between activists and funders. These exchanges began to seed ideas for more equitable and trust-based relationships, challenging philanthropy to support not just projects but the resilience of movements themselves. Blogs, testimonies, and reports from Forum participants describe leaving with practical plans, strengthened solidarity, and a sense of renewed hope.
The 15th AWID Forum showed that even in the most hostile global climate, feminist movements can come together in their thousands to connect, to heal, to strategise, and to rise. By resourcing AWID’s ability to host a Forum of this scale, CMI! ensured that marginalised constituencies could participate, that accessibility and care were central, and that cross-movement dialogues could take root.
