Association for Women's Rights in Development (AWID)

To the 15th AWID Forum participants: Thank you for bringing your energy, insights, and dreams to life across vibrant sessions, artistic spaces, and informal conversations. Together, we created a powerful feminist space. To those whose participation was hindered by systemic and climate injustices and colonial brutality, from the devastating floods in Southern Thailand to the closure of Haiti airport, the bombardment in Southern Lebanon, and the ongoing unspeakable genocide in Gaza, and the crisis in Sudan—your absence was deeply felt. We hold one another in our thoughts and our struggles. ✨ A les participantes del 15° Foro de AWID: Gracias por dar vida a sus energías, ideas y sueños en las vibrantes sesiones, los espacios artísticos y las conversaciones informales. Juntes, hemos creado un potente espacio feminista. A aquellas personas cuya participación se vio obstaculizada por injusticias sistémicas y climáticas y por la brutalidad colonial (desde las devastadoras inundaciones en Tailandia del Sur hasta el cierre del aeropuerto de Haití, el bombardeo en el sur del Líbano, el continuado genocidio inenarrable de Gaza y la crisis en Sudán), queremos decirles que su ausencia fue lamentada profundamente. Nos abrazamos unes a otres en nuestros pensamientos y en nuestras luchas. ✨ À toutes les personnes qui ont participé au Forum de l’AWID : merci d’avoir apporté votre énergie, vos idées et vos rêves pour donner vie à des sessions dynamiques, des espaces artistiques et des conversations informelles. Ensemble, nous avons créé un espace féministe puissant. À celles et ceux dont la participation a été entravée par les injustices systémiques et climatiques, la brutalité coloniale, les inondations dévastatrices dans le sud de la Thaïlande, la fermeture de l’aéroport d’Haïti, ou encore les bombardements du sud du Liban, l’innommable génocide en court à Gaza et la crise au Soudan, votre absence s’est fait cruellement sentir. Dans nos réflexions et nos luttes, nous nous portons mutuellement. #AWIDForum2024

🌟 At #AWID2024, Mama Cash’s Participatory Grantmaking Committee (COM COM) held a powerful session on grassroots-led participatory grantmaking. Activists took center stage to explore transformative donor relationships, funding geopolitics, and decision-making complexities. 🔍 Together, we asked critical questions: ⚫ How do we empower activists as decision-makers? ⚫ How do we navigate biases and diverse feminisms? ⚫ How do we address discomfort around money? ⚫ How do we ensure true representation in decision-making spaces? ⚫ Should compensating activists even be a debate? 💡 The session didn’t offer all the answers, but it opened space to share, challenge, and learn. Let’s keep the dialogue going. How do you envision building trust and accountability in participatory grantmaking? Share your thoughts below! 💜 #ParticipatoryGrantmaking #GrassrootsLeadership #FeministFunding

An incredible week in Bangkok is over. I thank the Association for Women's Rights in Development (AWID) team for the wonderful organization of the forum and for the opportunity not only to participate but also to speak. In support of our sister organization Women for Women International we held an amazing session How we Heal: A Feminist Approach to Art Therapy for Women Living in Conflict. During the session, we talked about the healing effects of art therapy, how it allows to create a safe space of support and solidarity, gives the opportunity to work with trauma even without words, restores trust and broken connections, allows to build inner strength and restore orientation to the future. We did not only talked, but also created a practical opportunity for all participants to try art therapy on themselves. I was very happy to share my original technique and watch how more than 50 previously unknown people from different parts of the world, thanks to creativity, very quickly begin to contact, communicate, share themselves and support each other. Art therapy is a powerful tool for healing the soul and finding a way back to life after severe traumatic events. It is also a powerful tool for uniting and amplifying women's voices. I am happy that we were able to share experiences and bring art therapy to this space of active people who are ready to improve our world.💛

Me siento profundamente agradecida por el camino recorrido y por la oportunidad de combinar dos de los roles más significativos en mi vida: mi trabajo y mi rol como madre. El 15° Foro Feminista de AWID en Bangkok, Tailandia, fue mucho más que un evento; fue un espacio de aprendizaje, sororidad y activismo. Tuve el honor de moderar una de las sesiones, un privilegio que me permitió amplificar voces diversas y compartir reflexiones sobre cómo construir un futuro más equitativo. Fue inspirador coincidir con mujeres poderosas y comprometidas, cuya lucha constante me recuerda que los cambios sociales son posibles cuando trabajamos juntas. Este tipo de experiencias me renuevan la certeza de que, desde cualquier parte del mundo, el feminismo nos conecta, nos fortalece y nos guía hacia un horizonte común. Estoy emocionada por los aprendizajes que me llevo y por la energía para seguir trabajando desde mi lugar. Agradezco a todas las personas que hacen posible este camino, desde mi familia que me sostiene hasta las comunidades que inspiran mi trabajo diario. Association for Women's Rights in Development (AWID)

We had an incredible week at Association for Women's Rights in Development (AWID)! We are coming back with a full heart and more committed than ever to keep fighting for the rights of women, girls, and gender-diverse people with disabilities. Spaces like #AWIDForum2024 have been instrumental to build cross-movement solidarity, and in these times, that solidarity becomes a life or death issue. Thank you to all the activists, organizers, and funders; to the individuals and the organizations. Let’s keep working together to build a world where we are all celebrated! In the words of Maryangel Garcia-Ramos Guadiana, “A feminism that is not inclusive and accesible, is not feminism, it’s performance!” The future of gender equality is INCLUSIVE! Virginia Ossana Ishani Cordeiro Suzannah Phillips Anastasia Holoboff, Esq. Ana Laura Lozano Marcela Reyes Ayala

Le Forum Association for Women's Rights in Development (AWID) est « un espace pour créer le monde dans lequel nous souhaitons vivre ». Coline Camier et Magdalyne Were y ont porté les couleurs de Mission inclusion, tissant des liens précieux avec des militantes, des activistes et des organisations féministes des Suds. Ces échanges enrichissants ont alimenté notre vision et renforcé notre détermination à développer des projets véritablement inclusifs et transformateurs. Cette expérience viendra notamment nourrir Regenerative Seascapes for People, Climate & Nature (ReSea) Project, notre initiative phare qui unit justice de genre et préservation marine aux côtés des communautés locales. ⬇️ Découvrez les moments marquants dans le carrousel ci-dessous !

I had the honor and joy of sharing my work at the 15th AWID Forum in Bangkok with my project “Poner el cuerpo o el futuro ya es feminista”, and I feel absolutely inspired witnessing to all those fierce feminists pushing for radical futures all over the world and beyond grateful with Association for Women's Rights in Development (AWID) for making me part of this feminist global community. I’m still thinking about on how art is such a major space of opportunity at the core of the feminist movement to build imagination, emancipation, participation and collectivity and I cannot wait to keep seeing it flourish 💜 #awidforum2024

💥 The end of the AWID forum is just the beginning - it was a call to action. Across powerful sessions and spaces, we addressed and shared the realities of our struggles head-on - sharpening strategies, fortifying movements, and deepening our resolve to tear down oppressive, patriarchal systems. This isn’t goodbye. This is fuel for the fight. The work we do now will ripple across movements, borders, and generations. Thank you for coming all the way sharing all the fire & solidarity—we’re in this together, unstoppable and unapologetic. #AWIDForum2024

🌟 Today's #OOTD from the #AWIDForum2024 🌟 Fashion is more than fabric—it's resistance, activism, and a statement! From bold prints that reclaim identity to accessories that carry stories of liberation, every thread speaks volumes. ✨ 🧵💬 How does your style spark change? Share your #FeministFashion stories in the comments!

#AWIDForum2024's Spaces have been especially freewheeling spots of conversation, sharing, and exchanging lessons. Creating safe environments for feminist thought leadership is an essential aspect of feminist event planning. We are thrilled to have co-created these with you.