Women Deliver 2026 to Showcase Global and Pacific Leadership on Gender Equality.

Women Deliver has announced the first wave of speakers for the Women Deliver 2026 Conference (WD2026), set to take place in Narrm (Melbourne) from 27–30 April. The event will spotlight global, regional, and community leaders advancing gender equality, women’s leadership, and intersectional solutions across the Pacific and beyond.

Australia’s Senator Katy Gallagher, Federal Minister for Finance, Women, the Public Service and Government Services, will address the conference. A long-time advocate for women’s representation and gender-responsive governance, Minister Gallagher has led reforms including expanded parental leave, gender-responsive budgeting, action on the gender pay gap, and investments in women’s health, safety, and economic security.

Joining her are senior regional figures, including Hon. Ruth Cross Kwansing, Kiribati’s Minister for Women, Youth, Sport and Social Affairs and Pacific Islands Forum Gender Champion; Hon. Michelle O’Byrne, Australia’s Ambassador for Gender Equality; and Dr Fatima Maada Bio, First Lady of Sierra Leone and President of OAFLAD, who will share her expertise on preventing and addressing child sexual exploitation and violence globally.

Global leaders on gender equality will also feature, including Julia Gillard AC, Australia’s first female Prime Minister, addressing persistent challenges for women in leadership, alongside Helen Clark, former Prime Minister of New Zealand; Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, former UN Women Executive Director; and Tulika Srivastava, Executive Director of Women’s Fund Asia. Collectively, they bring decades of experience in policy, advocacy, and advancing women’s rights.

Highlighting First Nations and Pacific voices, the conference will host:

Antoinette Braybrook AM, CEO of Djirra, leading Aboriginal-led solutions to family violence;
Noelene Nabulivou, Executive Director of DIVA for Equality, Fiji, and Pacific feminist organizer;
Dr June Oscar AO, Founder of Wiyi Yani U Thangani Institute, championing First Nations gender justice through culture, healing, and self-determination.

Multilateral leadership will be represented by Dr Diene Keita, UNFPA Executive Director, Dr Maliha Khan, CEO of Women Deliver, and Dr Anita Zaidi, President of Gender Equality at the Gates Foundation, bringing insight into evidence-based investments, global health, and accountability for women and girls.

WD2026 is the first Women Deliver Conference to be regionally hosted, allowing the Oceanic Pacific to shape the agenda. The region faces significant challenges from climate change, inequality, and under-investment in women and girls, while also offering strong feminist, First Nations, and youth-led leadership rooted in generations of advocacy and resistance.

The conference will bring together governments, civil society, researchers, funders, and community leaders to share knowledge, evaluate progress, and drive meaningful change toward gender equality.

Registrations are now open: womendeliver.org/wd2026

Media contacts:

Tammy Wayne-Elliot | 0414 428 440

Kristie Lin | 0485 954 652

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