As the world approaches the 2030 deadline for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), African feminist movements, youth advocates, policymakers, and grassroots organisations are coming together for a historic convening to accelerate progress on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) and gender equality across the continent. The convening will bring over two hundred delegates from across the continent with diverse backgrounds. The convening is scheduled to take place in Nairobi, Kenya, from November 24 to 26, 2025.
Organised by Sonke Gender Justice in collaboration with leading regional and global partners, the African regional convening towards Women Deliver 2026 will serve as a critical platform to reflect, align, and mobilise collective action. This convening responds to the urgent need for coordinated advocacy amid shrinking civic spaces, rising anti-rights rhetoric, and devastating global funding withdrawals that threaten decades of progress in SRHR.
A seventy percent reduction in funding would deny 7.7 million people access to contraceptive services, resulting in an estimated 2.6 million additional unintended pregnancies and 2,740 maternal deaths globally. In a report published by Amnesty International titled “Lives at Risk”, they assert that the United States government’s suspension of foreign assistance programmes has catastrophic consequences on global health and humanitarian efforts.
“The African continent faces unique challenges in advancing SRHR and gender equality. This has been impacted by global funding withdrawal, with traditional donors retreating. Yet, national budgets are not meeting the needs, which has left a significant gap, necessitating innovative domestic funding solutions,” said Sonke’s Regional SRHR Specialist, Jude Thaddeus Njinkem. “With Africa being home to the youngest population, it necessitates an urgent need for sustainable funding to support SRHR and gender equality initiatives,” he adds.
The convening will spotlight innovative grassroots-led financing models, promote ratification and implementation of the AU Convention on Ending Violence Against Women and Girls, and co-create a shared intergenerational leadership framework.
Expected outcomes include:
- A collective position paper outlining Africa’s SRHR and gender justice priorities for Women Deliver 2026.
- Advocacy toolkits and national action plans supporting AU Convention ratification and implementation.
- A briefing paper on domestic financing options and alternative funding models.
- A youth-led accountability and engagement framework for monitoring post-2030 progress.
- Strengthened alliances between civil society, youth groups, and policymakers committed to advancing gender justice in Africa.
“Across the world, hard-won rights are being rolled back, yet Africa’s feminist and youth movements are stepping forward with renewed determination. This convening is a reminder that progress will not come from generosity, but from solidarity and shared accountability” said Maliha Kahn, CEO of Women Deliver.
“When we gathered in Rwanda for Women Deliver 2023, we witnessed how powerful regional connections can be, how one conference can spark years of collaboration, new movements, and lasting change. That energy has taken root across East Africa, and this convening in Nairobi is proof that feminist action does not end when a conference closes. It grows. It deepens. It calls us back to build together again. We now look forward to Women Deliver 2026 being held in Narrm, Melbourne in Australia, where we will continue to build the future, we all deserve,”Kahn concludes.
ENDS/
Issued by Sonke Gender Justice.
For more information, please contact
Amukelani Chauke, Regional Communications and Social Media Coordinator, Sonke Gender Justice on amu@genderjustice.org.za or +27748574254
Jude Thaddius Njikem, Regional Sexual Reproductive Health & Rights Specialist, Sonke Gender Justice on jude@genderjustice.org.za
NOTE TO EDITORS
This convening is co-created with partners including FEMNET, ATHENA Network, Global Fund for Children, UN Women, Frontline AIDS, Girls Not Brides, and more, with financial support from Women Deliver and Terres des Hommes Schweiz.
Sonke is a South African-based non-profit organisation working throughout Africa. We believe women and men, girls and boys can work together to resist patriarchy, advocate for gender justice, and achieve gender transformation. For media releases, reports and news visit https://genderjustice.org.za/ and https://genderjustice.org.za/newsletter-signup/
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