Webinar: Feminist networks: advocacy built for endurance

At the PeaceWomen Across the Globe-hosted webinar, “Leveraging feminist networks for advocacy”,  three inspiring and experienced activists and peacebuilders shared key insights on how and why feminist networks play a key role in advocacy. Rabab Baldo (Sudan), Uma Mishra-Newbery (Switzerland) and Karen Tañada (Philippines) collectively have decades of experience in feminist engagement shaped by diverse contexts and trajectories.

Here is some of the advice and expertise the women shared at the webinar in November 2025 on how isolated resistance becomes collective power, while remaining rooted in feminist solidarity.

1. “Be ready to run when the door opens”

The speakers agreed that waiting for an invitation to the negotiation table is not a realistic option – because reality has demonstrated that women are not invited to the table. Rabab Baldo is a gender and inclusivity expert who has been a peace activist since 1990. She described how a coalition of 26 women’s networks mobilised to be part of planned ceasefire talks during the ongoing armed conflict in Sudan, after having initially been excluded from the male- and military-dominated negotiations.

Their strategy included identifying nine key countries supporting the conflict parties and engaging in targeted shuttle diplomacy with specific appeals. "Participation in political dialogues is always very short notice and needs preparation. We have done it since the war started, so we were ready to run when the door opened."

Rabab emphasised that readiness requires a major effort to harmonise the demands of 26 different networks. Within the groups and between the networks, the women discussed strategies and learned from mistakes, constantly refining their strategy. Her key advice? Embrace diversity – across ages, backgrounds and political affiliations – and commit to consistent communication so everyone is prepared when a political window opens.

2. Advocacy must take on different forms

Uma Mishra-Newbery described advocacy as a marathon, not a sprint. The feminist strategist and co-founder of The Substratum Initiative, which supports youth movements shared the example of the #FreeLoujain campaign that advocated for the release of Saudi human rights defender Loujain al-Hathloul, a Saudi women's rights activist who was arrested and imprisoned multiple times for defying the ban on women driving cars in Saudi Arabia. The campaign started by mapping the strengths of six organisations (legal, media, diplomatic) while focusing on the collective strength of individuals and organisations involved in the campaign. “From the start, we understood this was not just about one woman’s freedom; it was about the collective visibility and safety of all imprisoned defenders.”

The lesson that can be drawn from this campaign is: "Advocacy for one is always advocacy for many”. Campaigns like these provide visibility for others fighting like-minded causes who are unable to achieve the same degree of visibility on their own.

Uma stressed that advocacy doesn't only live in policy briefs; it lives in culture and imagination. She and Loujain’s sister co-wrote a children’s book, Loujain Dreams of Sunflowers, to humanise the women’s rights struggle in Saudi Arabia and reach audiences outside policy circles.

She also argues that "care is a form of political strategy," serving as "the glue that holds us together" during long struggles. By investing in emotional check-ins, safety protocols and rotation plans networks build endurance, especially when global attention begins to fade.

3. Bridging divides in the long run sustains power

Karen Tañada, a veteran peacebuilder from the Philippines and director of our partner GZO Peace Institute, underlined that the strength of a feminist network lies in its ability to be broad, sustained and grounded in local realities, even after peace agreements are signed.

Her experience lobbying for the peace agreement between the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front demonstrated the strategic value of connecting diverse social movements – linking predominantly Christian Manila-based groups with Muslim-led organisations in Mindanao –- to build consensus and public support for self-determination. Through the collective efforts of feminist networks they secured important provisions, including on gender.

The tendency for networks to dismantle after a political victory leaves them vulnerable when implementation faces setbacks, she added. The ongoing challenge is to maintain that "a broad perspective on peace", even when members get busy with other issues, to ensure feminist gains are not lost.

Key take-aways: authenticity, care, diversity – and endurance

The panellists identified unique strengths that feminist networks bring to advocacy:

• Authenticity: Advocacy is rooted in personal, lived experience. As Rabab noted, "When standing in a fire, you feel it more than when you are further away from it."

• The power of care: Care for oneself and others, emotional support and solidarity create informal protection systems.

• Diversity as a superpower: Diversity (age, religion, political affiliation, etc.) allows movements to see and connect isolated struggles.

Advocacy must be built for endurance, not just urgency. To this end, it is vital to build trust through dialogue, accept setbacks and stay focused. Given the relentless urgency and isolation experienced by feminist movements on the frontlines, reflection and care are not luxuries, but essential political infrastructure.

The panellists stressed the critical importance of creating spaces where diverse feminists – representing different identities and visions – can meet, discuss, agree and respectfully disagree. These venues for consciousness-raising and mutual support are the foundations that sustain ethical action and collective resilience.

PeaceWomen Across the Globe’s Feminists Connecting for Peace network offers precisely these essential spaces. By connecting peacebuilders and providing spaces for discussions and mutual learning, the network ensures activists have the time and space to pause, refine strategies, hold complexity as well as receive precious support and care.