Africa: Women Deliver Calls for Global Systems to Put Communities First This IWD
AllAfrica
February 24, 2026
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**Women Deliver Calls for Global Systems to Prioritize Communities Over Centralized Power**
As the world marks International Women's Day 2026 under the theme "Rights. Justice. Action. For ALL Women and Girls," Women Deliver is urging a fundamental shift in how global systems operate, particularly in the distribution of power and resources. The organization highlights the growing threats to gender equality, with authoritarian and far-right movements gaining traction, sexual and reproductive health rights being rolled back, and civic space shrinking globally. Maliha Khan, CEO of Women Deliver, emphasizes that the current international development system relies too heavily on a small group of donors and centralized institutions, often sidelining local communities and their priorities.
The issue is compounded by donor-driven funding models, where changes in donor priorities frequently lead to cuts in essential services like health and education. Khan stresses that simply increasing funding won't address the root problem—it’s about redistributing power and decision-making to ensure they align with community needs. She calls for a system where citizens can hold their governments accountable for delivering basic services, starting with a reevaluation of how global institutions and donors set funding priorities.
To address these challenges, Women Deliver and its partners are developing a Feminist Playbook through consultations across Latin America, Africa, the Middle East, Europe, Australia, and Asia. The Playbook aims to dismantle colonial systems that concentrate power in the hands of wealthy nations and a small group of donors. It advocates for local leadership and civil society to take center stage, ensuring decision-making reflects the lived experiences of those most impacted by injustice.
The Women Deliver 2026 Conference, set to take place in April in Narrm, Melbourne, will serve as a pivotal moment to finalize and launch this Playbook. The conference will bring together 6,500 participants from over 170 countries to debate and commit to concrete actions. The movement seeks to hold governments, donors, and global institutions accountable for meeting their obligations under international human rights frameworks.
This initiative matters because it addresses a critical gap in global efforts to achieve gender equality—too often, local voices are marginalized when setting funding priorities and shaping policies. By centering community needs and fostering accountability, the Feminist Playbook aims to rebuild systems that
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Originally published on AllAfrica on 2/24/2026