As wars intensify and democracies weaken, the International Alliance of Women (IAW) has adopted a new Action Programme with a clear message: today’s global crises cannot be solved without women’s rights at their center. Following our XL Congress in November 2025, we’ve launched a strategic framework designed to translate the principle of “Equal Rights – Equal Responsibilities” into measurable progress. This program reflects a world under pressure—one where gender equality is increasingly contested yet more urgently needed than ever.
A Programme Shaped by Crisis
The Action Programme 2025–2028 defines eight Strategic Goals to guide advocacy through the next three years. Rather than an abstract exercise, it serves as a dual-layered compass, pairing high-level goals with specific measures for policy intervention.
Rights, Peace, and Accountability
The programme prioritizes the full realization of women’s human rights, specifically the implementation of CEDAW and supporting “Cities for CEDAW” initiatives. Peace is treated as a defining test; the IAW reaffirms the human right to peace and pushes for a binding UN Convention and the total prohibition of Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems (LAWS). Central to this is the demand that women be equally represented in all peace and security processes. Violence is framed as a failure of law, with the IAW calling for the enforcement of the Istanbul Convention and targeting emerging threats like cyberviolence and femicide.
Democracy, Climate, and the Economy
Democracy is presented as a gendered issue where underrepresentation weakens resilience against authoritarianism. The Alliance advocates for parity democracy through electoral quotas to ensure women lead in all political and economic sectors. Addressing global fault lines, the IAW recognizes climate change as a gendered crisis, prioritizing the needs of women food producers and refugees. Simultaneously, the economic vision seeks a shift toward a “caring economy” by recognizing unpaid care work and ensuring equal pay for work of equal value.
Rights in a Digital World
As life shifts online, the programme highlights digital equality and cyber safety as core issues. The IAW demands that Artificial Intelligence be free of gender bias and tech platforms be held accountable for harassment. This extends to health autonomy, where the Alliance remains steadfast in advocating for Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) and groundbreaking research into gender medicine, such as menopause and endometriosis care.
A Clear Message
Together, these goals set a shared framework for action. In a fractured world, the IAW makes a forceful case: gender equality is not a side issue but a condition for peace, democracy, and sustainable development.
By Simge Simsek, MLaw
Member of the Board of the International Alliance of Women and Member of IAW’s CSW70 Delegation
