Gender equality if a fundamental principle of community-led development. For most women on earth, their primary opportunity to have voice in the decisions that affect their lives is through community leadership.
See also: Our collection of 16 articles for 16 Days of Activism against Gender-based violence.
- Launching 2026 – the International Year of the Woman Farmer (IYWF)
The UN General Assembly has resolved that 2026 shall be the International Year of the Woman Farmer — an issue of key importance to MCLD and particularly its rural members. Within the UN, this focuses the energy of FAO, IFAD, UN Women and WFP. Among member states it is chaired by Jordan and Ireland. The… Read more: Launching 2026 – the International Year of the Woman Farmer (IYWF) - Transformation of MCLD, CSW Readout
This month we gathered to discuss our observations from the recent UN Conference on the Status of Women, our new global structure and our upcoming participatory process to create our 2025-2028 Strategic Plan. - What we learned since BeijingI was not in Beijing in September 1995, but it still changed my life and my mission. I had helped our founding president Joan Holmes prepare her statement (click here) based on our field experience to date and – as we had at the Third Women’s Conference in Nairobi in 1985 – we sent a… Read more: What we learned since Beijing
- February 28: Let’s Fund the Grassroots Women’s Movement!
This month, on our global zoom call let’s commit ourselves to breakthrough on one of the most vital challenges for human progress. - March Update: Women’s History Month and the launch of Africa’s first School for CLD.
Listen to the recording of our March 29th call, to noted Indian Muslim feminist Dr. Syeda Hameed on the transformative power of women’s leadership, and from MCLD-Kenya’s Steve Ogutu and Makeuni County director for citizen engagement Zipporah Wambua.